I love the house where you live, O Lord, the place where your glory dwells. (Ps. 26:8)
I WALKED THROUGH A PALACE where the queen of England occasionally resides. I was impressed with its grandeur, but it really didn’t fit my lifestyle or taste as a place where I would want to live. There was grandeur but no glory. Maybe it would have been different if the queen had been home, but she had not invited me to visit her. I was a tourist who paid to get in, not a guest who belonged there by relationship or invitation.
A temple was built as a house for the Lord. It included a Holy of Holies that the Lord filled with His presence and where His glory dwelt. While the temple was impressive in its grandeur, it was the glory of the Lord that made it a special place.
The Lord does not live in a palace but in a temple. It is not a physical structure, yet it exists wherever people worship Him. He has invited us to enter into His glory because of our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
I love to be in church when the glory of God is there. Beautiful edifices are nice, but it is the presence and glory of God that turns a building into a sanctuary. Remove the glory, and the grandeur can become idolatrous opulence—an empty shell with no presence.
Go to the Lord’s house today and seek His presence.
Ken Heer was a pastor, community director, and author (A Good Start and Ancient Fire). He passed away prior to this publication.
