Psalms 138:1-2 I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your Name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name.
In today's Psalm, our attention is directed toward the God who answers prayer. The psalmist lifted his voice in praise, because the Lord answered him in his time of trouble and distress. What I would like us to take notice of is that the psalmist turned his attention toward God's holy temple when he worshipped. In other words, he turned his attention toward the place where the glory of God was once found. When Daniel prayed, while in captivity, in Daniel 6:10, he prayed facing Jerusalem. We are told in Exodus 40:34-35 that when the glory of God filled the Tabernacle, Moses was not able to enter therein. In 2 Chronicles 7:1-2, after Solomon prayed, the glory of God filled the Temple, and the priests could not enter therein. Today, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we praise and worship the Lord, where do we direct our attention? Where, or Who, is the glory of God? John 1:14 tell us, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." It is this Glory, that we are told in Romans 3:23 that we fall short of. Do we truly understand what that means? When the glory of God filled the Tabernacle or the Temple, sinful man, regardless of his role as priest, could not enter therein; and the only way he could enter to fulfill his priestly duties was to enter in the specific way that God determined and instructed. Today, we are told that we who worship must worship God in spirit and truth. Knowing that the Spirit indwells us, and that the Glory of God is Jesus, should we not take care to examine carefully how we approach our time of prayer? Praise be to God that it is Jesus' righteousness that allows us audience with the Father. What an awesome privilege we have to enter the throne room of God, by way of the One who is God's glory; all because of the grace we have been given in Christ Jesus. It is only by Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that we can come to our Heavenly Father. (John 14:6) Today, as we pray, praise, and worship the Lord, let us not approach Him haphazardly. Let us praise and worship God, always in the Name of the One who is the Glory of God, Jesus our Lord and Savior.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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