Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
Isaiah 66:1
God’s eternal intent
The whole of scripture shows us that God desires, longs for, and is forever making a way to be with His people. Since Adam and Eve were thrust out of the garden, there has been a need to establish a dwelling place on the earth for God so that He could commune with us.
From Moses’ tabernacle, to Solomon’s temple, to the living temples of the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are under the new covenant, God is looking for a place of rest among us. He is looking for a place prepared for His presence just as David did when brought the ark to Jerusalem. And He is actively seeking those who would worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4).
In these last days, He is also pursuing a pure and spotless bride that is ready for His return.
And we are longing for Him. In Revelation 22:17 it says “the Spirit and the bride say ‘Come!'” The desire for deep belonging and communion with the Father and the Son is not only expressed through the Spirit, but also the Church!
However, a bride that says “come” in the same way the Spirit says “come” is a bride that is intimately connected to the Holy Spirit and knows exactly who she is. The Holy Spirit is revealing the bridegroom and waking up the bride. If we are to say with the Spirit, “come,” then let us pursue a fuller revelation of the One to whom we are calling. Let us sit at His feet and learn from Him!
Our response in the days ahead
Deep down in my spirit, I believe there is something stirring across the body of Christ. And all the excess, all the religious activity that that we’ve placed around Jesus in our church life is beginning to lose its hold on our hearts.
I believe the Church is being called back to a place of pure worship and prayer. We are recognizing (because He is revealing) the emptiness that dry religion leaves and we are longing for something more. Something real. Something beyond ourselves, our plans, and our understanding. Something supernatural.
And it is Him.
Worshipers, it is time to prepare the way of the Lord. It is time to repent, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
It is time to become a ready bride, and to prepare for the bridegroom a dwelling place in our own hearts. We must make room for the Holy Spirit to operate in and through us. We must learn to hear His voice and to respond with humble obedience when He speaks.
Like Martha, we are so accustomed to welcoming Jesus into our home and then doing everything around Him, we don’t even realize that we are missing His voice and the intimacy of His instruction. The fear and anxiety created by the distraction around us is choking out the encounter Jesus longs to have with us.
Worshipers, we are at a spiritual junction where we need to pivot away from the Martha mentality and lean into the Mary moments at the feet of Jesus. We must go to the deeper places with Him. We must again make Him the complete and central focus of our gathering, and more.
A lifestyle of worship
The fruit of a well-formed worship life is regular encounter with God, increasing hunger for His presence, and lasting transformation through repentance and obedience to the Holy Spirit.
If this doesn’t describe your personal worship life, I want to invite you to journey with me as we build a “house of worship” for Him. I want to help you learn how how to build a personal “house of worship,” leading to a deeper experience with the presence of God and ultimately life transformation resulting from your own obedience to His voice.
Let’s resolve to make our hearts, our homes, and our churches a place where He is not only welcome, but where He can rest and where we can receive life-giving, heart-transforming words.
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