this is your house (3)

"But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heaven cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built!

as i wrote yesterday, nothing can contain God. King Solomon knew that, thus instead of asking God to stay in the brand new luxury manor he just built then, he dedicated it to Him. and if we read in 2 Chronicles 6, his prayer went pretty much like this:

Yet give attention to Your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in Your presence.

May Your eyes be open towards this temple day and night, this place of which You said You would put Your Name there. May You hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place."

(2 Chronicles 6:18-20)

the first thing i noticed from this passage was the striking resemblance between Solomon's vision for the temple He just built with the vision of our beloved BIC. both were meant to be a house of prayer. we know far too much about prayer than what we actually practice. borrowing Ci Irene's word, prayer is the breath of life for us Christians, without it, we die. enough said about prayer, let's go back to the phrase in question. we are to be not just a house of prayer, but a house of prayer for all nations. now... what does that mean?

as i penned down more drafts in my notebook on 7.52 sydenham this morning, i can't help but doubting myself. i know it would be a process, a long one it is, where God moulds and shapes each one of us into His likeness. looking at the current me, God, You have a lot work to do. i am a selfish brat, i have to admit that. there is no way you haven't heard about the recent Jakarta bombings. my homecountry was wounded in such a way and i felt... nothing. trapped in the convenience of living overseas made me forgot my roots. until i read this and i finally felt grief, both because of the incident and the realisation that i have never have the heart to even pray for my country. this is who i really am.

not even having a heart for my own country, how can i have the heart for all nations? it is difficult, isn't it, for us to escape from arrogance and self-righteousness, which eventually brings about exclusivity, us feeling so high and mighty and much better than the unrepented sinners out there.

when this condescending attitude creeps in, that is when we close our doors for nations.

i pray for continual shaping of the soul, for humility and the ability not only to acknowledge God's goodness and grace but to share through our lives. i pray for open hearts and open hands in this church, to accept and to care for others, to truly be a house of prayer for all nations.

this church will be where the lost and the lonely bring their burdens and their cares~

this is your house.