This Place
Recently I was sharing the lyrics to a worship song composed by
worship leader Ron Kenoly of San Jose, CA entitled “This Place”.
The words go like this:
The temple was finished,
King Solomon prayed
The people came to see was
God pleased with this place
Fire fell from Heaven, the
priest could not go in,
God's glory was more than they could stand
Lord, may Your glory fill this temple, here today as You did then
May Your presence be more
than we can stand
Lord may Your glory fill this
temple as we gather in Your name
May Your glory fill this
place
This place, is more than
brick and stone, this place, will become a home
This place, is for the
brokenhearted everywhere, a place that they will find someone Who cares Lord,
in this place, believers will agree, in this place, we'll stand in unity
In this place, as we gather
around Your throne
Lord, come and make this
place, make it Your home
Lord let Your glory fill
this place
I was on my way home from an interview a few days ago. Same position, same grade levels, different
school. While the interview was positive
and pleasant, I left with a very unsettled spirit.
"This Place" just happened to be next on the track and as it played I
decided to go home through the county’s rural area. As I drove through the heavily wooded area,
with uncontrollable tears streaming down my face, I sang the words to this song. I felt the release
of sorrow I’ve carried this year from injury, deaths, loss of relationship….I
thought, these words are not about a building and not just about the body of
Christ. These words are about us, the
temple for our souls, our hearts.
Extended, this song rings clear straight to the deeps of my soul, my
being before Him:
This place, houses a broken heart
in me, a place that I find someone Who cares,
Lord, in this place, I can
see, in this place, I'll stand in victory
In this place, as I gather
around Your throne
Lord, come and make this
place, make it Your home
Lord, let Your glory fill
this place
For
so long I looked at Christ’s “taking on all” for us half-heartedly. There are things in my life, things done to me, that
kept me from coming fully under His healing because while I believe He died for
me, I was not quite sure He experienced things I have survived. I realized that “God made into flesh,” God
here on earth as man, taking on all suffering meant those hours of mocking,
beating and hanging on a cross in fact means He has taken on all sin, done and done against. He has gone through every
single experience every single person has and will go through. If you can imagine all of mankind lined up
as God, Who judges all, reads each infirmity, each sin, each wrongdoing and
as each word is spat, the whip is raised and hammer lifts, Jesus blocks each blow with His own
self. He took every curse, every blame,
every hit, for us. For us, in a fallen hopeless state.
I've come to realize when
Jesus hung on the cross He experienced the ultimate with us, the most defining factor
that required such a sacrifice. During that
time of arrest, accusation and crucifixion, up to His resurrection, Jesus for the first time knew what all mankind
was condemned to live in. He now knew separation from God. He cried out, “Father,
why have You forsaken me?” He, the Kings
of kings and Lord of lords, the true Son of God, was at the depths of humanity,
full of sin He did not own, without God.
I cannot fathom myself ever again thinking Jesus did not experience the
disturbing abuse I endured as a child. I
cannot fathom myself believing ever again that it matters. This human thought process will no longer keep me from fully embracing what the extent of His sacrifice for me. Life in Christ dictates we process in the
spirit, against His holy word. Jesus
came to a fallen world and offered up His sovereignty as the Son of God, a willing
exchange, in those final moments, for a fallen human life. We are
lost without the grace and mercy of God, the One Who created all things, the One Who
created us. We are lost without a Savior
to redeem us back to God.
The
lyrics to this song remind us that in the days of Solomon God needed a dwelling
place among His creation. God wants to
commune with us. What can be more
wonderful in knowing, even in a fallen state, God Almighty wants to be with
His creation? This song also reveals to us that in
our age, we live in the fulfillment of God’s promise. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus, as head of
the body of believers, resides in each one who opens his or heart to Him.
A friend and I just concluded a study in the
book of Colossians. I am still
astonished at our discovery in chapter two, just after finishing a study in the
book of Revelation, how the church of Laodicea is mentioned. Paul had not visited these churches, he did
not plant them; however, Paul had a heart for those new in Christ and desired to
encourage them as they grew in understanding. His hope was to see them established in their faith. The soul of man thrives in the Truth of Jesus
Christ. It transcends beyond believing
in a God, but believing God and carrying with it, a readiness to proclaim that
Truth. Paul wanted the early believers of
Colossae to be rooted in their faith in Jesus Christ in order to recognize
false witnesses and stand firm in the redemption of Jesus. Paul understood believers cannot mature if
not grounded and can be easily led astray by deceivers. In later years, John wrote a letter to the
church of Laodicea as God held believers to account for being “lukewarm”. My friend and I paused to determine a timeline. We approximate the church of Laodicea moved
from a church growing in the knowledge of Christ to a lukewarm church in the
same generation. A span of perhaps thirty years? Making it real for myself, that would be my
coming to Christ at 24 and losing my zeal, my first love, by 54 years of age!
The
words of this song should challenge individual hearts, as well. Are we living our lives unto Him? Seeking and yielding? Do our hearts desire His will first and foremost? Are we growing and becoming more like Him, conforming
to His will, transforming to His character?
Is His glory more than we can
stand?
PRAY, CONSIDER, RECEIVE, SHARE
Please PRAY for Christian America. Pray that we humbly seek His will in our
lives, that His will be the desire of our hearts, trusting Him in the direction
He wants us to go. Pray we remain true
to the message of Jesus Christ, boldly being an extension of who He is and sharing
the gospel of salvation to others in our midst.
Pray that we stand firm in whatever the Lord requires of us, in obedience, rejoicing, full of thankfulness in all things that come about. Pray that our strength not
give out and our staying power not falter. Pray for comfort and healing for those who
have lost loved ones, are sitting in prison, or are battling illnesses. Let us be a light to those in need. Let us not lose hope and retain the joy of
our salvation, that faith be strengthened.
Jesus promised to intercede when the devil comes to devour, deceive and
destroy. Join Him by praying without
ceasing sharing the gospel of Christ at all costs. Let our choice to follow Jesus, unto death,
be a reminder to us to stop “practicing religion” and live out a faith in
Jesus, for His namesake, to God’s glory.
Pray that the
hearts of people turn towards Christ and be guided by the Holy Spirit. The world has become more uncertain than
ever. Matthew 24:6 repeats the words of
Christ that tells us in the end times we will hear talk of war and rumors of
war. He goes on to say that we are not
to be troubled because these things must come to pass. People go about their daily lives without
assurance, searching for comfort in a world that cannot possibly provide
it. We live in a country where churches
sit just about on every corner. St. Mary’s
County’s 2015 consensus listed over 111,000 residents and the religious
archives listed approximately 66,000 with unclaimed church affiliation. Bibles are sold openly and given freely. We can pray in public establishments and
speak the name of Jesus without fear of persecution. Let us not take that for granted but use such
liberty to live out the gospel to those around us. Let us take every opportunity to know Christ
and share the richness of Who He is to everyone, everywhere. Let us not miss the opportunity to grow
deeper in our faith, at all times.
For those mature in Christ, our
confidence comes from knowing God’s redemption plan which restores us back to
Him. It is there we find ultimate peace in
knowing Jesus brings salvation to all who will receive. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and
Life. Only He can reconcile our hearts back to God. Let us not grow
comfortable in this Truth we saturate ourselves in. Seek the Way.
Learn of Truth. Choose Life.
Please PRAY that people develop a hunger and thirst to know more of
Jesus. Pray hearts open to hear
the Good News of God's plan to reconcile all creation back to Him
through His Son Jesus Christ. Pray for spiritual growth with the people
of America, that they embrace their faith in Jesus, fully trusting in Him. Pray that those in Christ boldly live out
their faith for others to see, a living witness to God’s grace and mercy. May we all not just believe in Jesus, but
believe Him.
Please CONSIDER giving, through donations
or volunteer service locally within your own community, fulfilling the
Great Commission through service to the poor and neglected people of our
country and other regions worldwide.
RECEIVE the Lord's eternal blessing for your partnership in
whichever manner He guides you in.
Please SHARE this blog with anyone you know
who is interested in supporting and/or partnering in missions work, locally or
globally.
PRAYER REQUESTS
The Miller, Martirano and Keosababian
families, as they grieve the loss of loved ones. Our hope rests in the salvation of Kyle, Silvana and Patsy, who are in the Presence of our King.
May the glory of the Risen Lord be known…..
