Daily EncouragementSample

So Solomon, in his prayer for the temple which he had built “for the Name of the Lord” draws our attention to the paradox of the divine presence. “But will God really dwell on earth?” The answer is an impossible “Yes!”

That “Yes” was proclaimed through the cloud which filled his temple (1 Kings 8:11). And the whole of Solomon’s prayer assumes that that positive answer will be given: “Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer . . .” (1 Kings 8:28).

That “Yes” is proclaimed again through Christ’s dwelling by his Spirit in the hearts of believers: “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17).

That “Yes” is most fully proclaimed in the incarnation of the Son of God: “The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory . . . full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The impossible “Yes” baffles our thought even when we listen to the arguments of believing theologians. It is only God’s light shining in our hearts “to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6) which enables us to grasp the incredible paradox and say “Amen” to the impossible “Yes.”