We have thought on Your steadfast love , O God, in the midst of Your temple. As Your name, O God, so Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments! (Vs. 9-11)
Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
On that day when the sky turned black in the middle of the afternoon and the earth quaked its disbelief at the death of the One hanging blood-soaked and emptied on a hillside cross between two thieves, something happened downtown in the Temple of the Jews. Something crazy and amazing. The inner Holy of Holies, the midst of the temple, its guts and most sacred sanctuary, was opened bare. The ten foot veil tore in half, from top to bottom, exposing the place where God dwelt in Shakina Gloria. Only the high priest, once a year, could enter this most holy room. He had to be cleansed and made ready to perform His duties before his God. Sacrificial blood preceded and followed the priest into the sanctum where God decided to forgive or not His people of their sins.
"It is finished!" cried the Lamb. Then the earth quaked and hell cried out, for the enemy of our souls had lost forever his quest to keep us from our God. Stripped of all his authority at the sacrifice of Christ, the evil one shrieked and convulsed. For now the very name of Jesus was his defeat. Released into the world was the privilege of daring to go behind the veil into the very presence of God, sprinkled once and for all with holy blood. God, with His strong right hand, ripped to shreds our own imperfect righteousness and gave us His own. Traded places not only with us but with that which we sacrificed. Lamb and sinner at once, we put it all on Him. Finally done with self-righteousness and piety, the Father tore away the curtain that separates us from the Holy of Holies so we could stand in His presence redeemed and adopted! It was violent. Judgment became Mercy in earthshaking, blood-dripping, light-blinding power. Jesus. It was Jesus who bought us out of bondage. It is Jesus who is still purchases our freedom with His Name.
The word for "midst" in this psalm is the Hebrew word for "bowels." The inner most part. The heart. I love this. When I go to my Father in prayer, in the name of my Savior, Jesus, I stand in the bowels of the temple. The Holiest Place where God still dwells in incomparable light. There I want to throw up my hands, or drop to my knees or dance til I drop! My God has allowed me to enter His very heart and praise Him there. Covered me in His steadfast love. Showered me with grace. Justified my sinfulness with His jaw-dropping mercy. And....not only that....I am His kid! I belong to Him now. Should I not then just be a bouncing bundle of unbridled joy? And my joy is multiplied to every nation and tribe on earth. Doesn't matter that we don't speak the same language or eat the same food. All are welcome by the blood of Jesus to partake of intimacy with the Father behind the veil. That same strong right hand that delivered salvation to me will today reach out and deliver me still. I am safe to pour out to Him my whole heart - from the depths of my own being - because He spared nothing to bring me into deep intimacy with Him.
Saying His name today. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Wanting to wear it with humility and wonder. "Lord, Jesus, I am a daughter of the Father whose deepest desire is to bring the wonders of Your great love to the ends of the earth. I am imperfect. I have shamed You. But my being right does not rest on my merits, but Yours. Thank you that mercy triumphs over judgment because You are my righteousness! Cover me today in the atoning blood of Your sacrifice. And as perfectly as I am able, help me to declare Your praise to the ends of the earth!"
Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
On that day when the sky turned black in the middle of the afternoon and the earth quaked its disbelief at the death of the One hanging blood-soaked and emptied on a hillside cross between two thieves, something happened downtown in the Temple of the Jews. Something crazy and amazing. The inner Holy of Holies, the midst of the temple, its guts and most sacred sanctuary, was opened bare. The ten foot veil tore in half, from top to bottom, exposing the place where God dwelt in Shakina Gloria. Only the high priest, once a year, could enter this most holy room. He had to be cleansed and made ready to perform His duties before his God. Sacrificial blood preceded and followed the priest into the sanctum where God decided to forgive or not His people of their sins.
"It is finished!" cried the Lamb. Then the earth quaked and hell cried out, for the enemy of our souls had lost forever his quest to keep us from our God. Stripped of all his authority at the sacrifice of Christ, the evil one shrieked and convulsed. For now the very name of Jesus was his defeat. Released into the world was the privilege of daring to go behind the veil into the very presence of God, sprinkled once and for all with holy blood. God, with His strong right hand, ripped to shreds our own imperfect righteousness and gave us His own. Traded places not only with us but with that which we sacrificed. Lamb and sinner at once, we put it all on Him. Finally done with self-righteousness and piety, the Father tore away the curtain that separates us from the Holy of Holies so we could stand in His presence redeemed and adopted! It was violent. Judgment became Mercy in earthshaking, blood-dripping, light-blinding power. Jesus. It was Jesus who bought us out of bondage. It is Jesus who is still purchases our freedom with His Name.
The word for "midst" in this psalm is the Hebrew word for "bowels." The inner most part. The heart. I love this. When I go to my Father in prayer, in the name of my Savior, Jesus, I stand in the bowels of the temple. The Holiest Place where God still dwells in incomparable light. There I want to throw up my hands, or drop to my knees or dance til I drop! My God has allowed me to enter His very heart and praise Him there. Covered me in His steadfast love. Showered me with grace. Justified my sinfulness with His jaw-dropping mercy. And....not only that....I am His kid! I belong to Him now. Should I not then just be a bouncing bundle of unbridled joy? And my joy is multiplied to every nation and tribe on earth. Doesn't matter that we don't speak the same language or eat the same food. All are welcome by the blood of Jesus to partake of intimacy with the Father behind the veil. That same strong right hand that delivered salvation to me will today reach out and deliver me still. I am safe to pour out to Him my whole heart - from the depths of my own being - because He spared nothing to bring me into deep intimacy with Him.
Saying His name today. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Wanting to wear it with humility and wonder. "Lord, Jesus, I am a daughter of the Father whose deepest desire is to bring the wonders of Your great love to the ends of the earth. I am imperfect. I have shamed You. But my being right does not rest on my merits, but Yours. Thank you that mercy triumphs over judgment because You are my righteousness! Cover me today in the atoning blood of Your sacrifice. And as perfectly as I am able, help me to declare Your praise to the ends of the earth!"
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