MAY 25

Habakkuk 2:18-20
Memorise Isaiah 6:5
“But the LORD is in his holy temple…”

The Lord’s Holy Temple as mentioned in Habakkuk 2:20 refers to His heavenly abode where the throne of God is found. It is not a physical place but a spiritual one. Decades ago some NASA astronauts went into space thinking that they might be able to behold the glory of heaven by physically ascending “heavenward” as it were. In their arrogance and unbelief, they concluded afterwards that heaven does not exist because they did not see it while they were in outer space. Of course this is not surprising since heaven is a spiritual realm and not a physical one.

In Isaiah 6:5, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed after God gave him a vision of His own glory, “…Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts”. Had the astronauts been truly able to behold the glory of God and the heavenly place their reaction would have undoubtedly been the same. This is because man’s utterly wicked and depraved condition becomes glaringly obvious next to God’s infinite and perfect holiness. The truth of this situation would strike so hard that any man would react the way Isaiah did: “Woe is me, I am undone!”

That is why when we understand what it means for God to be in his holy temple, reigning from on high, seated upon his heavenly throne, our response must be one of reverential awe and worship. God is sovereign over all things, and is an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present God. He is not like the ‘dumb idols’ that cannot do anything, and do not even have breath within them. No, God is the great Almighty God who is in control of all things. Thus when we begin each worship service with the singing of ‘The Lord is in His Holy Temple’, we are in effect acknowledging the sovereign presence of God, and that will set us in the right frame of mind to come before Him in holy worship. We quieten our hearts, as we ponder on the greatness of God, and seek to glorify Him through our sincere heartfelt worship.

Thought: Am I waiting expectantly and joyfully for the soon return of my King and Redeemer Jesus that I may behold His glory?
Prayer: Keep me safe, sanctified and fervent in Your affairs, O Lord, that I will not be found wanting upon Your return.