November Devotion

This is part of the devotion shared at the third session of the conference.

 Ps 24:7 Lift up your heads, o you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?  The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!  Lift up, everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?  The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory.

What a great praise song!  It is thought that David wrote this when the Ark was returned to Jerusalem, when GOD’s glory accompanied it.  The Ark had been too long away from the Temple.  It is called the Ascension Psalm.  It was sung in the Temple every week and on Ascension Day to remember The Lord’s return to Heaven.  It is antiphonal in that the question was asked and the people responded with the answer in the next verses.

It speaks of opening the gates wide to allow the Lord to enter.  It speaks of giving Him a hearty welcome!
Most of us have seen the painting of CHRIST knocking at the door.  What is odd about the door?  It has no outside handle.  That is the point, our hearts must be open to His Spirit coming in and indwelling us.

The term Lord of Hosts is used almost 300 times in the OT.  The hosts included the stars, the angels, Israel and all who believe who belong to the army of GOD.  It reveals His might.  How marvelous to be part of His army!

We await His return when He will be victor over all His enemies.  Meanwhile we can triumph in life through JESUS CHRIST and be ‘more than conquerors’ as in book of Romans.

Rom 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our prayer:
Father, we lift Your Name on high.  You are the Rock, the fortress of our lives.
Father we are mindful that we can have a closed heart.  Forgive us those times.
Thank You Lord JESUS that You were obedient and made forgiveness possible.
Thank You for allowing us to be the temple of Your Holy Spirit, forever with us.
As we live each new day, we ask that You be our guide.  Help us to submit to Your will.
Guide our meeting and show us how to be the light that You have called us to be.
In the strong Name of JESUS, we pray.  Amen.

Sandy Pace
Spiritual Life Director