“The glory of the Lord” is a phrase that is found in every verse of this passage from 2 Chronicles 7. The temple had been dedicated, the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. How did the people respond to such a mighty move of God? They fell prostrate to the ground, and both worshipped and praised the Lord saying “He is good, and His mercy endures forever”.
Let’s unpack this. I believe that this display of the glory of the Lord is what I would call capital “P” manifestation of the presence of the Lord. The brilliance of this manifestation of the presence of God impacted the people of God physically as well as spiritually. It prompted them to worship the Lord for who He is, as well as praise Him for what He does.
In your life as a follower of the Lord Jesus, there will be times when your awareness of the manifest presence of God will inspire you to worship and praise God with a more intensity than at other times. And whenever that happens, whether it be in our church sanctuary or your prayer closet or a walk in the park, it will be because you are reminded again that God is good, and His mercy endures forever.
But I also think of how Isaiah nearly felt speechless when he was in the presence of a holy God in Isaiah 6. The priests could no longer stand to minister when the temple was filled with the glory or presence of God. It is impossible to boil down the response to the manifest presence of God to a singular activity. My point is this: there will be those “goose bump” and “non goose bump” types of spiritual reactions when we encounter the presence of God. This much I can guarantee you; when you and I learn to cultivate an awareness of the presence of God in our lives, we will find ourselves spontaneously worshipping Him more and Praising Him more because He is good, and His mercy endures forever. SELAH
