Sometimes, the smallest of statements provide the largest of lessons.
Psalm 99:5 offers such a lesson in a very potent form.
“Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; He is holy.”
In my mind’s eye, I see myself in heaven, bowing down before the throne with my face inches from the golden floor of God’s throneroom. I am about to embrace the feet of God and bathe them with kisses.
But then I hold back because, even in this future perfected state of eternal existence, I know that God is infinitely superior to me and that I don’t want to presume the authorization to grab His feet simply because I want to.
For He is holy and I am not.
He is the Lord and I am the blood-washed former sinner.
And so, I savor in rich fashion the privilege of simply bowing before Him, so close to Him that I absorb His radiance and rejoice that amongst all the zillions of souls in heaven, God is still able to see my heart for Him, even through the back of my head.
We Americans have a thing about not bowing down before others. It’s the Revolutionary War thing, you know.
The fact is, though, most Americans bow down before all sorts of things that aren’t sitting on the throne of heaven.
In fact, they bow down every month when they make that loan payment or every week when they head to the club or every night when they head to the lust-fueling websites or every few hours when they satisfy their bodies’ cravings for certain food types that shorten lifespans and heighten health problems.
You are an intelligent person and you are quite capable of evaluating your life to assess what habits or obsessions are hindering your calling to worship the Lord first in all things.
Please, dear friend, don’t let ANYTHING hinder your active worship at God’s footstool with your Sunday worship or with your devotional time each day or with the tithing He commanded or with how you place all your grudges and woundings at the cross.
He is holy.
We are not.
We NEED His mercy.
He WANTS our hearts.
Let’s exalt Him.
Always.
As always, I love you
Martin
thanks