Reflections on Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters. Psalm 24 v 1,2
I sense God is speaking through Psalm 24 it in this season. These verses remind us of God as creator and sustainer. We can make God small in the way we talk about Him but He is not. He is big, unimaginably almighty! I don’t know about you but I’m really glad of this. We are in a spiritual war but we are on the victors side. This week as you pray , meditate on these verses and ask Father God to give you a glimpse of His vastness and how that can effect your perspective.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god. . Psalm 24 v 3-4
The Psalmist poses the question who can ascend the mountain, who can stand in the Holy Place. We know that mountains in the Bible are a place where people go to encounter God (Abraham went up the mountain with Isaac, Moses goes up the mountain and sees God’s face, to name a few!) and so the Psalmist is asking who can encounter God? The answer a person who has clean hands and pure heart – in other words someone who has integrity – who they are on the outside and inside is the same, someone who has no idols. God is calling us to a deeper place, to enter in we have to be these people of integrity and holiness. Will you and I rise this to challenge?
Psalm 24 v 5,6 says,
They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob
I talked about how God wants people of integrity who don’t have any other idols, in other words abandoned to Him people. People who seek Him. I was reflecting on my own life and I realise at times I have heartedly seek God. This week I was reminded of Rodney ‘Gypsy’ Smith, a man of humble beginnings who came into the world in 1860 in Epping Forest, just outside London. Forty five times he crossed the Atlantic to preach the gospel to millions of people on both sides. His passion was almost unparalleled, and there was great fruit in what he did. What was his secret? Private prayer. His praying was even more powerful than his preaching.
A delegation once came to him to enquire how they might experience personal and mass revival as he had. They wanted to be used the way Gypsy was. Without hesitating, he said: “Go home. Lock yourself in your room. Kneel down in the middle of the floor, and with a piece of chalk draw a circle round yourself. There, on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that chalk circle.”
We talk about ourselves being revivalists, but how much do we actually seek God? My challenge to me and to you all is that we do as Rodney did, draw that circle and start praying for revival within it. Will you join me?
Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory
Psalm 24 v7-10
What are gates and doors? Places of access. Through those doors and gates we can give access to the enemy through unforgiveness, sin, lies or acts of disobedience. If we have followed the first half of the Psalm – given God His rightful place, gone into that place of intimacy and got rid of the idols in our lives then our doors and gates will be able to be opened to let the King of Glory to come in. What great news – He wants to come in, He wants to bring His glory into our lives, He wants to release His Kingdom!
BUT this is not just an individual thing – this is something that if we as a community press into then we open up the gates and doors for the King of Glory to come. Isn’t this what we want? The King of Glory to come in bringing His rule and reign which affects every area of life – our family, our workplaces, our relationships, our churches, our neighbourhoods, our finances.
King of Glory you are welcome !
Blog by Liz Gregg
