God's Presence

“And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” Exodus 25:8

It still amazes me that after all of the grumbling of man and the sin which tarnished our natures, God still had the desire to dwell in the midst of His people. After the fall in the garden, a separation occurred between God and man so that God could no longer dwell in the midst of His people directly. Instead of God abandoning his creation completely, he instead chose to propose a plan for a mediated dwelling amongst His people. I think he missed walking with his creation, talking with the creatures he made, but he knew he couldn't be in our presence without killing us. So it is by his grace that he gave us a sanctuary, a middle ground through which God can dwell within the midst of man without his direct glory killing us. What love the Father has for his creation that he would rather suffer the reflected nearness to his creation than starting over from scratch! And now our sanctuary is the temple of the Holy Spirit dwelling within the church, made holy by the blood of the Spotless Lamb of God. He has once again drawn near to His creation! Praise God for His gracious nearness and the means by which we may draw near to him!

Lord Jesus, we wait anxiously for the day we can stand before you once again, being made whole by your blood, without the mediation of priests and veils, complete and near in your direct presence. Let us worship you today!