Making Place, Within, For Our Lord To Dwell

Today's Word of Encouragement from Wayne:

"Thus Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel"

Exodus 40: 33-34, 38

The book of Exodus concludes triumphantly, from God’s perspective, with the establishment of the tabernacle, and His actual dwelling presence among His people. Roughly the second half of Exodus is taken up with God’s specific directions concerning the construction of the tabernacle and the preparation of the priesthood, both dedicated to making a place for God to dwell, and then ministering to the Lord in His presence. This, in our Abba Father’s eyes, is His triumph; His actual dwelling presence in us and our recognition that He has made us to be "My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19: 5-6).

The apostle Peter referred specifically to this text from Exodus when he wrote of us, the body of Christ, that "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s Own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1st Peter 2:9). God is looking to fill His church today with this same triumphant conclusion, of our making a place, within, for our Lord to dwell, where we will come and minister to Him. This is, as Peter says, all for God’s glory, that we may "proclaim the excellencies of Him." Ministering to the Lord gives us a front row seat to beholding the excellencies of God and then, being transformed in His presence, we really have no option but to "proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us." And just look at how the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle, when a place has been prepared and the priesthood has come, to extol and to minister to our great Lord of life, for the abundant and eternal life He fills us with.

Oh the Lord is worthy! He is worthy of all of our praises, all of the time. He is so worthy that we have prepared a place within, to honor Him, even as He has said, that we might minister to our God and, in doing so, He fills us with His presence. "And the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." O praise His name. If we build it, He will come. Hallelujah!