I just returned from a trip to Israel with Beaverton Foursquare's group. I could go on for hours about the different places we visited and their impacting significance, however there is one place I want to focus on: The Temple Steps. One afternoon in Jerusalem, our group visited the south side of the temple, which still holds some of the remains of the original steps that led up to the temple, the Holy of Holies (#JesusWasHere).
As we settled on the steps for some Bible reading and worship, one of our beloved tour guides, Gilla, explained a very significant aspect of how these steps were designed. They were purposefully designed to be uneven, inconsistent and staggered. They were intended not just to be a way of access to the temple, but a way of preparation and thought as worshipers approached the temple. They were designed to force people to think about every step they took as they approached the presence of God, to focus on the worship and sacrifice they were heading to do, to neglect the tendency of going on autopilot in their daily or weekly routines. Is this brilliant design or what?
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool.4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.This scripture describes the importance of our promises and our worship to God. It tells us to fear God. It tells us to guard our steps and to guard those promises, to enter God's presence with a ready and listening heart rather than a half-hearted mouthful of I surrender all and Jesus you're all I need — some seriously heavy promises that are often set on the back burner as we head to our Sunday brunch.
So how do you approach your worship to God as a worshiper and a worship leader? How will you prepare your heart and mind as you think and focus on each step you take, both physically and spiritually, as you come into the presence of the Most High? The beautiful thing is that I don't have a direct answer or a step-by-step guide on how to do so, but Ecclesiastes 5 sure points us in the right direction. God knows each of our hearts and he knows whether we are worshiping out of routine and "Christian habit" or out of a prayerful and humble heart.
So be prayerful, be mindful, be intentional. Guard each and every step and let your words be few in his presence.
Shalom,
Jamie
jamie@b4church.org
And just for fun, here is a great shot of our group sitting on some of the reconstructed temple steps. For more photos and details of our travels to Israel, check out the blog I posted specifically for the trip: http://joshandjamieinisrael.blogspot.com/
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