The Presence of the Lord
When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a thick cloud filled the Temple of the LORD. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple.
10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. (NLT)
This is how powerful our worship experience should be. Worship is often defined as coming into the presence of God. We should be so powerfully moved by the presence of God that we can hardly continue our service. How awesome would that be? How amazing would it be to let down our guard of worrying if the person next to us can hear our terrible singing voice on a Sunday morning, and just SING!
If there’s one thing that bothers me most on a Sunday morning is when I look out from the drums and see blank faces and standing-still-as-stone bodies during the worship time. If we truly want God to move during our worship, we need to make an attempt to come into His presence. If your offering to God during worship is putting your hands in your pocket and standing still, you may need to rethink your worship strategy!
It is my prayer that this passage can resonate in our churches, and our lives can be so filled with the presence of God that we can hardly continue our service.