Day 2 – Issue 17

Be Still Know

Psalm 24:3 NLT

‘Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?’

Having recognised God as my host on earth throughout life, I find myself asking how I respond to my creator. After all, one is only offered hospitality by someone who wants to entertain one. So I want to take the time to get to know my host as a friend; to discover who they are beyond their function as host. For many years I knew who God was, yet took little time to discover the person behind the title. It’s a shame, given that the creator of all actually offers friendship.

Growing up, I was fairly introverted. My mother’s advice was that I should approach life like a tortoise. Be cautious in sticking my neck out, always alert and ready to swiftly retract it into my shell. I was to see people and situations as threats ahead of opportunities. This determined my approach to life, so this awareness of threat meant that my shell was what I was known for; no one really got to know me. How can friendships flourish from such a base?

God, our host, offers a challenge. Who will approach him? For years I failed to ascend that mountain, for I felt unworthy. I knew myself, my sinfulness, my deceits and lies. I lived in the darkness, avoiding the light for fear of being known for who I truly was.

Jesus is the word, our high priest and the bread of life, no longer imprisoned in an ark, no longer revealed figuratively. Jesus stuck his neck out, stepped free from the shell of the Temple, and revealed his true nature, God and man, redeemer and Lord. Once we choose to climb that mountain, we discover that God stands arms stretched wide in welcome for all of us prodigals.

QUESTION: Reflect on the fact that you have access to the Father because Jesus was worthy.

PRAYER: Thank you, Jesus, that you could stand, that you could draw near, and you carry us with you into the presence of your Father.