Holy
Comforts of Home
September 12, 2009

My life has been difficult the past couple of months. I have been troubled in every aspect of my life to some degree. Emotional and mental areas of life have been stressed. My physical conditioning or lack thereof, has been taxed. Relationships have had issues. Marriage, family, work and all areas of life have felt the stresses of what is happening in my life. Many people are affected these days to some degree by the same things that I am. The economy of the day affects our lifestyle and our financial condition. Our daily choices affect many areas of our lives. There are many factors that affect us and many different strains that pull at us. The question is, how do we react to them?

As I was feeling overwhelmed by my situation, I prayed and I sought prayer. What was I to do next? What were the correct decisions to make? Why was I feeling like I was drowning or paralyzed? What, Lord, is this all about?

One day while working, driving my truck, and again on my drive home from work, I heard a series of songs and the common theme was God’s holiness. It started out with the following song from Nicole Nordeman.



Nicole Nordeman - Holy lyrics

How many roads did I travel before I walked down the one that led me to You?
How many dreams did unravel before I believed in a hope that was true?
How long? How far?
What was meant to fulfill only emptied me still
And all you ever wanted...

only me on my knees
singing holy, holy
and somehow all that matters now is
you are holy, holy

How many deaths did I die before I was awakened to new life again?
How many half-truths did I bear witness to, ‘til the proof was disproved in the end?
How long? How far?
What was meant to illuminate, shadowed me still
And all you ever wanted...

and all I have is gratitude to offer You.



“And all You ever wanted, only me on my knees singing holy, holy. And somehow all that matters now is You are holy, holy.” This is the line that jumped out at me and grabbed my heart. I needed to focus on praising and worshipping God. It caused me to begin meditating on the holiness of God. As I did so, that drowning, paralyzing feeling began to melt away. The cares of this world are nothing compared to the majesty of God. I believe that God cares about each of us and the situations we find ourselves in, but His presence can overtake anything in this world. Drawing closer to God in meditation and contemplation pushes aside the cares of this world. God tells us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Also, as God told Moses in Exodus 33:14, “And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.’” I was truly experiencing this rest from the burdens that were weighing down my heart, my mind and my spirit.

I began to think of the throne of God and the creatures that cried “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Is there really a need to repeat the phrase three times? Is there really a need to call it back and forth between them over and over? Well, God is certainly worthy of all the praise and glory. His glory is immeasurable. God is three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There are accounts of this praise in the books Isaiah and Revelation.

Isaiah 6:1-4 Isaiah's Vision
“In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”

Revelation 4:5-11 The Throne and Worship of the Creator
“Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.’ And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.’”

These sections are packed with interesting things to study and learn, but I am focusing on the holiness that is being proclaimed. There are many other areas in Scripture referring to the call for holiness in both persons and things. Following are some of the calls for us to be holy.

Exodus 22:31
“You shall be holy men to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.”
Leviticus 11:44
“For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.”
Leviticus 11:45
“For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Leviticus 19:2
“Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ' You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
Leviticus 20:7
“You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 20:26
“Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.”
Numbers 15:40
“so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God.”
1 Corinthians 7:34
“ The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”
Ephesians 1:4
“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love”
Ephesians 5:27
“that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
1 Peter 1:15
“but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;”
1 Peter 1:16
“because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’”

I don’t know about you, but when I see a dozen references to something like this, I think that I ought to pay attention. So what is it to “be holy”? This might be good to know since we are commanded, as children of God, to be holy. We do not have the time for an exhaustive study here. Let’s take a quick look at it in a nutshell.

The dictionary definition is:
–adjective
1. specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; consecrated: holy ground.
2. dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion: a holy man.
3. saintly; godly; pious; devout: a holy life.
4. having a spiritually pure quality: a holy love.
5. entitled to worship or veneration as or as if sacred: a holy relic.
6. religious: holy rites.
7. inspiring fear, awe, or grave distress: The director, when angry, is a holy terror.
–noun
8. a place of worship; sacred place; sanctuary.

Can I apply any of this to my life? I am called to be holy, as God is holy. He is set apart from the sinfulness of this world. His character is worthy of adoration and praise. His decisions and behavior is pure in motive and action. He is focused on what is good in essence, as well as what is good for each of us. He desires to build loving relationships with each and every one of us. Am I holy as He is holy? I believe that I have plenty to work on in my life. I do know however, that I am able to work on this area of my life because of His love and grace. It is because He made it possible through the work of Christ on the cross at Calvary for me to enter into a loving relationship with Him. Apart from that, apart from His forgiveness of my sin and His drawing me to Himself, all my efforts in this world are acts of futility.

“And all You ever wanted, only me on my knees singing holy, holy. And somehow all that matters now is You are holy, holy.”


_________________
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6 That doesn't leave much wiggle room. Yet, we continue to try to get right with God on our own terms rather than submit to Jesus Christ.