Stately Steppings

The Queen stepped from the royal chariot, was escorted through the gothic corridors, and entered the House of Lords.  At entry through the door with the Duke, all members of Parliament and all other distinguished attendees rose.  Then the hush.  The Duke led the way, the Queen stepped to the throne.  It was once again the hour of the “Speech from the Throne”.  All in that historic chamber were again in the presence of royalty. The Queen was on the throne. Honor and profound respect were the order of this occasion.  Communication from the Queen was to be heard.

There’s another hush—a holy hush.  There are steppings more than royal—the stately steppings of the Spirit of the Holy One.  Profound moments—moments not to be missed when He steps into the inner sanctum, into the corporate sanctuary, or any other place of meeting.  It is the time.  When it has arrived we know it!  The King over all other kings speaks!  He is speaking to us, for us, for the benefit of His people.  Time for silence.  And in the holy hush, we listen!

Ethos

As may be intimated from the previous post, that place of encounter with this honored Guest becomes hallowed.  The imagery of a beautiful garden has provided a word picture for thinking of a great meeting place.  That imagery has been set forth as one concept of the ethos of the inner sanctum “where the Lord of my life I may meet”.  Poets have captured this imagery that aids many believers as they focus on devotion and spiritual formation.

There’s a sacred and hallowed retreat,
Where my soul finds a fellowship sweet,
Where the Lord of my life I may meet,
In the garden of my heart.

There is naught can disturb or molest,
There my spirit finds comfort and rest,
And my soul is no longer distressed
In the garden of my heart. 

Shut away from earth’s strife and its din,
And protected from soul staining sin,
For my Savior is dwelling within,
In the garden of my heart.

There the dove of sweet peace always sings,
And my faith ever trustingly clings;
And the chime of sweet happiness rings
In the garden of my heart.

Refrain
In the cool of the day He walks with me,
In the rose bordered way He talks with me;
In love’s holy union,
And sacred communion,
In the garden of my heart.

— Haldor Lillenas

Encounter

The sacred place with its ethos becomes hallowed to us because of the encounter.  He is the One we knew was in that place!  Isn’t it amazing that the human spirit is quite aware when the Holy One is in ‘this place’ and when He has spoken?

For the Guest to be the honoured One, however, He must authentically be honoured.  “Those who honor me I will honor,” said our Father, “but those who despise me will be disdained” (1 Sam. 2:30).

What may we say of our times?  Are we attuned to this timeless Guest of the ages? Is it possible that reverence for God, for His Word, and for His Spirit are shoved aside in and for another kind of ‘spirit’ of this age?  Are we so taken up with this world’s new agenda (it’s “better way”), with ourselves, with our agenda as lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (2 Tim. 3:4), with covering the “my way” lifestyle with “a form of godliness” while we “deny its power” (2 Tim. 3:4) that the honoured Guest is pushed to the side?  He is a perfect Gentleman.  He only comes where He is invited.

Paul Rees told the story of a God encounter—a corporate one—at Wheaton College a number of years ago. He shared the account:

On a Tuesday classes were suspended and group prayer services were held in many different rooms. . . . After a Thursday morning message on confession of sin, one of the members of the college track team asked for permission to speak.  He made his way to the platform and publicly asked forgiveness for leading the track team in a cross-country race on Sunday against the wishes and without the knowledge of the administration.

Quietly President Edman said, “If there are others who need to confess their wrongdoings, they may do so now.”  One after another, students arose to unburden their hearts and openly to declare their purpose to be right with man and right with God.  There was confession of cheating, of unkind criticism against others, of trying to follow Christ and the world at the same time, of spiritual pride, of prayerlessness, and of coldness.  Some were choked with emotion, but most of those who spoke were strangely subdued.  Yet they were plainly stirred to the very depths—and utterly sincere.  On two days of that week the pubic sessions lasted for several hours each, some students standing for two or three hours waiting their turn to speak.[1]

Dr. Rees wrote of the freshness that comes from the Holy One’s visitation:  “spiritual renewal and revival always come along the line of man’s response to God’s call.”  He further wrote, “You can pull wires and get something from the politicians, but not from God.  His word to us is plain:  “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:7).[2]

Ours is a choice—a choice of no small consequence.  Will we welcome the honoured Guest?  His stately steppings among us bring His shalom.                      

His shalom we cannot produce for ourselves.

 

 

 

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[1] Paul Stromberg Rees, Things Unshakeable and Other Sermons (Grand Rapids:  Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), pp. 49-50.

[2] Ibid.