Take Me In!

I was cleaning my house this morning and worshiping at the same time... doing the dreaded laundry.  I was listening to Petra, one of my OLD albums and what a blessing it was.  Every song was easy off the tongue and that makes it easier for me to just get into the meaning and words and praise more, if that makes any sense.

Anyway, this song, "Take Me In" comes on and I start singing and I am overcome and undone.  Before it is over I am sobbing so hard I felt as if I might be sick.  The desire to "see" God was so strong and the desire to be intimate with the ONE true God was so heavy that I was overcome with grief.  Grieved because I cannot literally see Him right now. Grieved that I know I have yet un-confessed things that keep me from Him, even if I don't realize yet what they are.  Grieved because no matter how hard I try, I will never live up to what He wants me to be or what He wants from me. 

Then that moment of overwhelming grief turns to praise because as the song says, I can enter that Holy of Holies because of the Blood Of The Lamb!  I praise you God for your righteousness and for your grace and love.  I am nothing and deserve worse than nothing, but because of YOUR love Lord I will be given grace that I do not deserve and I will be shown love beyond my imagining.  Thank you Lord for your mercy.  Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice.  Thank you Holy Spirit for dwelling within me and reminding me of it all whenever I loose sight.

Praise You Lord!

Petra, "Take Me In"

Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy Place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
And the Priests who sing your praise
I hunger and thirst for your righteousness
But it's only found in one place

[Chorus:]
Take me into the holy of holies
Take me in by the blood of the lamb
Take me into the holy of holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am

Faith

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.....Helen Keller

"A Shattered World"

That is what we are is it not?  A shattered world?  I know that in my own life I have lived through many things that would not only shatter the world of someone but obliterate it if it weren't for one thing... Faith.  And my faith has sustained me, saved me and brought me through many things in this world that would hope to destroy me.

You have to be careful though, because faith alone is nothing at all.  You must have faith in the right thing.  It is not faith in the invisible unseen things that we know nothing about.  It is not faith in that little round fat man that smiles smugly at you when you look at his little brass idol.  And for sure it is not faith in myself because heaven knows that if I put faith in myself I will surely let myself down.  It isn't even faith in faith, for what in the world is that?

Without something substantial to base your faith on, faith is nothing more than a blind wish that is made upon a star when you see the first star appear in the heavens.  It is random, left up to nothing more than, "What if's!"

But when we choose to base our faith on the One who was the same yesterday, today and always; the One who has said what He will do, and has done; the One who makes the lame walk and the blind see.  If we choose to base our faith on the One who gave His life to save ours, then there is hope and in that hope faith springs forth and gives birth to light!  And in that light no darkness can ever hope to gain ground and what once was shattered is now glistening as diamonds in the sun!

Faith in Our Lord is our strength, and though we are a shattered people, when we are restored then we shine all the more.... We become the light in the darkness.  But our faith must be placed righteously, or it is not of faith at all.