Holy of Holies

Sometimes I get so caught up, you know? In religion, in biblical thoughts, in tangential arguments.

I want to belabor the necessity of knowing the Feasts of the Lord, or the value of servanthood.

I want to spend weeks studying the very large (astrophysics, cosmology) and the very small (quantum mechanics), in order to understand the origins of the universe in light of science and scripture. Which, I realize, makes me sound infinitely smarter than I am. Let me rephrase: I want to listen to an AUDIOBOOK of a FOR-THE-MASSES (i.e. dummies) science text that EXPLAINS IN ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLES certain scientific ideas.

But, as Solomon would say, "All is vanity."

Because as soon as I hear a song like Kutless' "Take Me In", I realize that I have forgotten the essence of knowing and loving God.

To stand in His presence.

"Take me in to the Holy of Holies / Take me in by the blood of the Lamb / Take me in to the Holy of Holies / Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am."

I love a good spiritual kick in the pants. It's like dressing up for a night on the town, feeling like a million bucks, until someone points out that, "You've got a booger." I mean, it sucks. It's a knock. But it reminds me that I need correction. And that's reassuring, reorienting.

It's easy to get side-tracked. Distraction is what we Americans do best. But there is a beauty in standing still. There's submission involved in standing in His presence. And some would argue that submission is what we do worst.

Lord, allow me the silence and shalom to stand in your presence. Your Spirit is life-giving.