majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 87:1-5,
"He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; the Lord loves the
gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things
are said of you, O city of God: 'I will record Rahab and Babylon among
those who acknowledge me- Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush-
and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.' Indeed, of Zion it will be
said, 'This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High
himself will establish her.'"
After freeing the Jews, held in slavery in Egypt, following a forty
year wandering in the wilderness, God brought them to the land of
Canaan. It was the city of Jerusalem, in Canaan, that God chose to
have a temple built, in the midst of his people. There the temple
worship would continue as it had in the tabernacle God had Moses build
in the wilderness.
Jerusalem enjoyed the prominence any place would have as the physical
manifestation of God's presence. It wasn't that Jerusalem was great
and so God made his abode there, acknowledging its greatness, but it
was God's presence, his glory, that made Jerusalem great. In verse 3
the Sons of Korah say, "Glorious things are said of you, O city of
God". Such a great city that in the Lord's own "register of the
peoples" it will be written that "this one was born in Zion",
acknowledging the honor one's birth there would represent.
Such is the glory of our Lord. Where he is, there is greatness. It is
his very presence that makes it so, such is his glory. And so it is
with us as he indwells us. In these vessels of weakness the Lord
brings strength. In the midst of struggle with our own sin natures,
the Holy Spirit brings change from within. Where the Lord is, there it
is that greatness is to be found. Not because of that habitation but
because of he who inhabits it. The wonderful apostle Paul comes to
mind as I think of these things. Were we to ask Paul, in his humility
he would acknowledge he was nothing, but the Lord... now here is One
to marvel at. And, yet, as I look at Paul's life, from the time of his
persecution of the church and the martyrdom of Stephen to the time of
his great, heartfelt concern for the churches the Lord brought birth
to through him, I see greatness. A greatness that the presence of the
Lord brought to Paul's life.
Wherever the Lord is, there greatness is to be found!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment