Heart Tracks - In Person

"When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.' " Genesis 28:16

There's a phrase heard often in the church, or on second thought, maybe not often enough; "The Lord really showed up today." I've said it myself, but more and more I see the great error in such a statement. It is wrong on so many levels. Intended or not it seems to indicate the Lord hovers around backstage, waiting for the right moment to "appear in Person." Or that through various means we can, like a genie in a lamp, "rub our lamps" in just the right way and produce His appearance. Yet, beyond these is an even greater reality. It isn't the Father who needs to show up, we do.

Few wish to spend any time in the Old Testament these days. We live by grace after all. The law has passed away, so why spend any time reading about what life was like before the resurrection of Christ. What riches we rob ourselves of. One of the greatest losses may be our understanding of what is true worship. A great part of the meaning can be found in the very books we choose to ignore.

One of the keys for the priests and people as they came before Him was preparation. God made clear to all that He could not be approached in a casual way. He put before them rituals of purification for the people to observe, so that they would come before Him ceremonially clean and pure. There was no other way to come, and both the Father and the people were very aware that He allowed for no exceptions.

I know that we no longer observe these outward rituals, but they are described to us as a means to be a type, a portrait of what our inner condition must be when we come into His Presence. The priests and people were meticulous in their preparations. They greatly feared coming before Him in any way that He saw as unclean. The Father meant it for a heart lesson for all, even we who live in the covenant of His grace. That we would come before Him with clean hands and pure hearts. His people then came prepared to worship Him. How prepared are His people today?

Observe how we most often appear before Him. How prepared are our hearts and minds to worship? How much time have we spent meditating on who He is, what He says and promises, and especially, what it is He commands of us? We live distracted lives, and this is usually true right up to the moment we seek to enter into His Presence, be it in our personal "quiet times, " or our corporate gatherings. It's for this reason we have come to rely overmuch on music and visual aids in our worship times to get us to let go of our "Monday through Saturday" lives in order that we might spend an hour or so with Him on Sunday. Too often we have an emotional response to it all, and think of it as His "showing up," when in fact, it's we who havn't.

It's common to see worship teams and pastors joining in a minutes long prayer before the service. Yet how many hours of prayer went before that minute? How many of us have spent the Monday through Saturday time crying out for Him to move upon His Church? What would happen if we did? There is never a moment when He is not present, appearing. There is never a moment when He is not speaking, moving. It is we who are absent, not Him. Oh that we would be among those that "love His appearing," and are not waiting around till Sunday for it to happen.

We are invited to "come boldly to the throne" of grace, but with reverence, in worship. May His Church become such a Church. A Church that beholds He who always appears, "In Person," for those who truly seek Him. For those whose hearts are prepared for Him.

Blessings,
Pastor O