Quiet, Holy Temples

 

Scripture

Habakkuk 2:20

 ²⁰ But the Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth keep silence before him!   (NRSVUE)

Psalm 46:10

“Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation in the world!”  (TLB)

 

Devotion

Occasionally, people ask me what my favorite part of Sunday is.  My answer probably isn't what they expect to hear. My favorite moment on Sunday isn't hearing the choir sing or the people pray.  It isn't the fellowship before or after service or the Youth Group meeting that night.  No, my favorite moment of each Sunday occurs about 10 minutes after the last person leaves the building.  The sermon has been both preached and commented upon, the prayer requests have been lifted up and honored, all the check-ins with people have been made.  The thermostat has been reset, and various doors have been locked.  That is when that I step back into darkened sanctuary, which still holds a bit of residual energy left by those who have gathered there. There, in stillness that almost hums with the Holy Spirit, I silently sit in the presence of Christ.    

That's right, friends.  My favorite moment of Sunday is when everyone else has left and I am silently sitting in God's Holy Temple.  In that moment of restfulness, all the cares of the previous 7 days fall away, and the ones of the week to come have yet to hit.  I am thankful for all that has been said and done in that space and in the lives of our people during the previous week.  And as I quiet my mind and allow myself to briefly rest in the bosom of Jesus, my Spirit becomes more open to any message God decides to send.  Messages of  protection and comfort.  Messages of commitment and purpose.  Messages of peace.

Our world is a loud place full of all kinds of tasks that need done and problems that need addressed.  where people often choose to address the various issues of the day by talking about what we think should be done and then rushing around to do it.  The more important task feels or more horrible a situation is, the more we fall into that pattern...as if frenetic activity is enough to fix things.  What would happen, though, if we all time to pause?  To quietly listen to for Christ's voice?  To be still and know that God's will will be honored in every nation and place?  

I think that if we all took time to keep silence and rest in God's holy presence (even if only for a few moments a day), we would find ourselves feeling more grounded.  More purposeful.  More sure-footed and in agreement with one another.  More hopeful that God's purposes will be achieved as we work together in Christ's name.  And in our moments of silence, we will learn to hear God "speak."

My moments of quiet with God cannot last forever.  Eventually a phone rings or the Spirit prompts me to get up and head of of the sanctuary to get back to work in our loud, loud world.  But I carry a bit of that silent splendor with me each time...and that silent time in God's presence is what gives me the joy, comfort, strength, and wisdom, and love to keep following Christ's will through all that awaits me in the coming week.  I trust that it will keep doing so in the week after that.  And the next.  And so on and so forth until my time on Earth is done and I go to spend eternity with my Risen Lord.

 As you continue your own walk of faith though this loud, loud world, I encourage each of you to find ways of spending some quiet time in God's presence.  Whether you find that time during a daily cup of tea in a comfy space or in your car or by stopping by a religious space when you know it should be relatively empty, may you quiet your body, mind, and spirit.  And though that silence may feel uncomfortable at first, may you come to feel God's presence within it...a presence that will bring you exactly what you need to continue your walk in faith.  And may your soul rejoice to find that the Lord is indeed in his Holy Temple--the Temple of your Heart.

 

 

 

Prayer

 [spend 60 seconds in silence]