THE WESTERN WALL OF THE TEMPLE in Jerusalem
During each Holy Land Pilgrimage our Lakes Church Lead Pastor Dr. Aaron D. Burgner shared with us the biblical and historical significance of The Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. Walking up to the Western Wall, I am struck with the reality of the exact location where I am. When Herod renovated the second temple at the end of the first century before Christ, he shored up the temple plaza on all sides by massive walls, up to six stories high. Although only half that height is visible above ground level today, the Western Wall is still impressive, particularly the 165-foot portion known also as the Wailing Wall. I approach the Western Wall, reach out my hand and touch the unusually smooth surface of these formerly rough stones, made so smooth by so many people touching them over the centuries. This wall would have been just on the other side of the Holy-of-Holies in the Tabernacle. I wrote my prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, give us a heart and mind which worships You as the One and Only Holy God...”
I
signed my name and the names of my closest family members, folded the paper and
placed it in the small cracks between the smooth stones of the Western Wall,
along with thousands of other small pieces of paper placed there each day. Out
of all the world, the Jews had been God's chosen people. To the Jews alone had
God miraculously appeared in the cloud and in the sea. When the Glory of
the Lord filled the temple, God was literally present in the midst of His
people! “Destroy this temple,” Jesus said, “and I will raise it again in three
days.” But the temple of which Jesus had spoken was His own crucified
body. One day it was as dead as the stone covering His tomb, three days later
it was brought back to life again by the incomparable power of His
Resurrection! And here lies our hope. “Don't you know that you yourselves are
God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” As I walk away from the
Western Wall, I have not taken even the first step away from God's Presence—the
Spirit of Christ Who dwells in the innermost part of me, taking Authority over
my soul—the seat of my emotions, and my body—my fleshly desires and appetites.
All Praise, Honor, and Glory to You, my Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ, the
One and Only Son of the Living God.
How
lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with
longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I
will shout joyfully to the living God.—Psalm 84:1-2 Because we can
worship God anyplace and anytime, we might fail to understand the psalmist’s
longing. In Old Testament times a person made a pilgrimage to worship God. It
was a yearly event and often involved a lengthy journey. That is why the
psalmist sang of a dwelling place where he could be in the presence of the
Lord. It’s why he expressed a desire to be even a lowly gatekeeper in God’s
house (v. 10) so that he could worship God every single day! We have available
to us what the psalmist could only hope for. When Christ hung on the cross, the
heavy veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple ripped
from top to bottom. This symbolic act shouted to the world that believers were
no longer required to stand at a distance. We can walk into God’s presence and
commune with him by name. Today many religions continue to require a pilgrimage
to worship their gods. Christ made a way for you by making a pilgrimage of his
own—the long, lonely walk to the cross—so that you could praise him wherever you
are.
LORD
JESUS, I am thankful that I can worship you right where I am. I will enter your
courts with thanksgiving. I will kneel at the mercy seat and find forgiveness.
I will call out your name in praise. Lord, I pray for those who do not have
intimacy with the living God. You have already made the pilgrimage for them.
Open their eyes to see that they can find you right here, right now. Amen.
Look Up—meditate on Psalm 84:1-2 …pray to
see what it reveals about the character of God.
Look
In—as you meditate on Psalm 84:1-2 …pray to see how you might apply it
to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries:
"Because God is_________, I will_____________."
Look
Out—as you meditate on Psalm 84:1-2 …pray to see how you might apply
it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every
relationship, for your good, and for His glory.
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