Holy Place
I grew up learning not to run in the church building. It was treated like a sacred or holy place. Today, the church I attend meets in a gymnasium where people play basketball, pickleball and volleyball. I would suggest that the place is just as sacred as the building where I went to church as a kid. The good news is that God dwells in my heart now – He doesn’t dwell in a building, although He can certainly show up there!
As I was reading about the construction of the temple, I was reminded that under the old law, the High Priest was the only one who could go into the Most Holy Place and that was only once per year. Solomon spared no expense in building the temple, especially the Most Holy Place. Check this out….
8 He made the Most Holy Place 30 feet wide, corresponding to the width of the Temple, and 30 feet deep. He overlaid its interior with 23 tons of fine gold. 9 The gold nails that were used weighed 20 ounces each. He also overlaid the walls of the upper rooms with gold.
14 Across the entrance of the Most Holy Place he hung a curtain made of fine linen, decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and embroidered with figures of cherubim. (2 Chronicles 3:8-9, 14 NLT)
As I read this description of the Most Holy Place, I was reminded of the events surrounded the death of Jesus. One of the more significant events was that upon His death, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom and the Most Holy Place was now open. God had now become accessible to those who call upon Him. Check this out…
44 By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. (Luke 23:45-46 NLT)
There is great significance in this curtain being torn down – It was super thick. It had been a barrier to the Most Holy Place – now the place of God was in the heart of man, not in a building or specific location.
As I reflect on the Presence of God in me, I was reminded that God’s Presence is not so much about a location as it is an awareness of Him. He is in me. He is for me. He doesn’t leave me. I think I’ve heard Him speak more clearly in certain location. I hear Him better when I’m in a quiet spot. I’ve also heard Him speak when the music was very loud. I’ve heard from Him when my life was chaos and upside down. There has been so many times in my life that I’m thankful that the Lord was dwelling in my heart, because I’m not sure I could have made it to the temple (aka the church) or anywhere else. I needed Him right then and right there.
In Your Presence by Elevation Worship
Pressing On!
Dwayne