1 King 8:1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43
Psalm 84
Ephesians 6:10-20
“O Lord, Hear Our Prayer”
Throughout history, human beings from every corner of the world have set apart places of prayer and developed rituals and routines for reaching out to the Creator of all things, and talking to God.
We bow our heads, we clasp our hands, we kneel, or lie prostrate, or stand with our arms raised up towards heaven. We light candles, burn incense, or make offerings. We use memorized prayers, or speak from our hearts, or simply sit in silence before the One who made us, and who we hope is still watching over us and caring for our lives.
From the time of Abram and Sarai, the Hebrew Scriptures tell us about people who set up places of prayer. Not yet temples or synagogues or churches, but wherever they travelled in their nomadic lives, they set up stone altars – places to honour God and express their prayers.
In the time of Moses, God’s presence became associated with the Ark of the Covenant – the beautiful carved box containing the stone tablets with the ten commandments – and God went along with the people as they continued their journey to find the … Read more »