Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
A Place of God's Presence
The temple was a place where God's presence resided. Israel would look to the temple whenever they were in difficult situations, or when they needed to remember who the Lord was. If you are anything like me—and if we are anything like Israel—there are times where we allow our ego, our perceptions of the world, our understanding of God, to get in the way of who He actually is.
When was the last time you ran into God's presence and started telling Him everything that you wanted, or what He could be doing differently in your situation, or how you just wish He would stop this thing from happening? So many times we run in, and I would dare say we can be kind of flippant with how we approach God. We say the first thing that pops into our head, or we assume that He's supposed to fit into our understanding or our structure.
Think about church, for instance. If you were to walk into a church service and God were to come in the way that He wanted to reveal Himself, would we be ready for how He wanted to show Himself to His people?
Who is On the Throne?
This Scripture is a humbling reminder that we are not sitting on the throne in God's temple. We are the ones outside looking in. God is on His throne in His temple, which means that He is the ultimate authority. The Scripture is not saying, I am on my throne and God comes to me. If we're not careful, this can become a very self-serving culture.
I believe, in some respects, in the church and even in our own walks with Him, we've made the relationship with Him about us. We need to step into humility. A big phrase you'll hear around church is the idea of reverence, or the fear of the Lord. When we remember who God is and who we are in light of Him, we do not hold His seat. We wouldn't want to—if you had God's seat, that'd be a lot of responsibility and a lot of things to keep in order.
Our Creator Watches Over Us
As our Creator sits and watches His people, He loves them. He cares for them. If we're not careful, we can get lost in our worlds enough to forget that He is ultimately the one in control.
Instead of running into His presence and just throwing out whatever's top of mind to us, in a way that ignores His position of authority and power, let's take a moment and be like Israel—slow down and look at the One who is seated on the throne, and stay silent before Him. Maybe there are moments where God is actually waiting for us to quiet down long enough for Him to say the word that will bring us breakthrough.
Bring Your Heart, But also Rest in Silence
In your time with the Lord, I would encourage you to bring what's in your heart, but also don't be afraid to stay silent before Him and recognize His power, His authority, His grandeur—and rest, knowing that the Creator is always watching.
