Devotion for Saturday 29 May
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from Psalm 48 verse 8, “As you have heard, so have we seen in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever,” (NRSVB). This Psalm, composed by the temple musicians, The Sons of Korah, tells of the glory of God, reflected in the City of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord. This psalm was possibly sung as the Israelites journeyed to Jerusalem to praise God in the temple, while ascending the mountian, beholding the beautiful city and their destination, the Temple.
The prayer and psalm phrase, “I lift up my eyes to the hills,” comes to mind. We are comforted by the knowledge that we can lift up our hearts, minds and souls by glancing up to the hills around us and know that as sure as we behold the hill, so assured and sure are we of God’s help and his protection. Nature is a reminder of God’s power, presence and his creativity. The creativity of humans, in structuring places of worship to their Lord God, is a reminder to travellers and pilgrims, of the global expressions of humankind, re-creating a city and temple for God, there where they are, to symbolize the City of God, where we are journeying towards, together.
God blesses those who honour him and who prepare their hearts and minds to meet him in the City of Zion, the City where the streets are of Gold and the Son of Righteousness is the Light, there where we will weep no tears and experience no sorrow or pain. Experiencing God’s presence by joining fellow believers in prayers, scripture reading and songs of praise, sharing his word and his communion table, prepares us for the week ahead and strengthens us in joint fellowship. However, there are times when these “gatherings unto the Lord” are physically not possible. There are times when we are too weak to travel up the mountain towards the House of the Lord. It is in times like these that we can lift up our eyes and see the Cross of the Lord, and his love on the Cross, working for us, to save us from calamity and to assure us that God is with us, we do not need to fear.
When the Temple of the Lord laid in ruin and the worshippers were in exile, God’s presence and care for them, as they were scattered around the land, did not disappear, but was made visible in God’s protection of the remnant of believers. When David wanted to construct the temple for the Lord, God told him that He travelled with the Israelites in the Tent of Meeting and the Ark of Covenant. He will continue to journey with them, pitching His tent with the people, being present among them. God travels with the people, and dwells among them, He does not need a temple. However, humans need the temple to assemble, it is a physical and tangible reminder and representation of God’s presence and his blessings. The fixed structures of these buildings, give the worshippers hope of a stable, immovable dwelling place, a place of peace and rest.
However, this earth and this body, will not be our fixed and final place of peace and rest. We can look forward to the time when this tent dwelling of our body and the tent of meeting of our places of worship would be replaced with our new resurrection bodies and our places of worship, with dwelling in the permanent and tangible presence of God in his radiance and splendour.
The Apostle Paul writes in his Letter to the Ephesians in Chapter 2 verse 22, “In Christ Jesus you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God,” (NRSVB). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit within believers join them together through the foundation of the church, Jesus Christ, and their commitment to Christ’s new commandment, love one another, as you love me. Because God dwells within us, we have a sacred presence in and through him, and our bodies are the temples where God is worshipped. We are sanctified, or made holy, and our presence throughout the world, makes us shining lights to witness to the Light of the World, Jesus.
What an awesome task has God not given his children, to shine the light of Jesus Christ, by being in the world. We are present in this world, in all the hurt and pain and darkness, while witnessing to the Hope of the Ages, the Son of God, who came down to earth to dwell with humans. God is near to us and he is present . Let us worship him and praise him as we lift up our hearts to the Lord and wait expectantly for his deliverance from all our doubts and fears.
We can see in our mind’s eye the New Jerusalem, the new heaven and the new earth, where God will reign and every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. We will feast at his table prepared for us and experience the peace that will reign between God and humans and creation, so much so that even the lion and the lamb will harmoniously live together.
Father, we thank you for all the places of worship throughout the world. We ask that you will bless and strengthen them, and make them shining lights to praise you. We thank you that we, as the Body of Christ, the believing worshippers through the ages, can lift our eyes to you and see our help descending from heaven, Amen.
