09/24/2020
Do you long to be in the presence of God? When you pass by a church do you admire the cross that crowns it, and think of Jesus Christ, and all He does for you? Do you dream of being in God’s presence, standing with Jesus before God the Father with your face aglow, and your heart nearly exploding with the joy He brings you? If so, you are not alone, and your soul is singing in unison with so many others.
“My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”
Psalm 84:2 ESV
I was raised on Army posts across the United States, and in Europe; every three years we moved, and I had to learn a new place, find new friends, and often would face new enemies as I found myself adjusting to a new pecking order, and inserted myself into the local hierarchy of strength within my school, or neighborhood. However, one thing remained constant from post to post, and it comforted me... the Chapel. It was always centrally located and as we drove onto the base for the first time I would always see it, and know that everything was going to be alright. No matter how many bullies I would have to face, or bad circumstances I would be required to work my way through, the Lord was there with me... His rod and His staff comforted me.
“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
Psalm 84:10 ESV
Unlike Christian society elsewhere in the United States, or around the world for that matter, the American military posts of the 1950s had one chapel, or at most a couple, that all Christians shared... Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant of whatever denomination, they were all housed here. It was the focus of faith, and no matter what your differences were regarding liturgy, or nuances of practice and theological determination, they all came together in this one place, and the differences seemed to melt away as God welcomed everyone into His house. The blood of Jesus washed each of us just the same.
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Psalm 84:11 ESV
So, we all walked the same halls, used the same sanctuary, and shared the same cup. After seeing newsreels, of soldiers hungrily taking communion on the frontlines during momentary respites from battle, and of pastors and priests tending to wounded and dying men on beaches in some far away place, I came to realize that the post chapel was just a recreation of that care, and togetherness brought home from battle. One God, one Jesus Christ, and one Holy Spirit, regardless of how we attempted to draw the lines between ourselves. When all else is stripped away that is what we find remaining... that is the truth a man who is bleeding out on a battlefield, far from his home, understands when a pastor or priest he has never met before leans over him in prayer during his final moments while he transitions from that hell on earth to the peace of heavenly promise.
Being in the presence of God, and walking with Jesus, aren’t things we define, or determine the method of... they are given as a blessing to us, and we come to know them by following God’s Word, and the gospel... we don’t lead. We are Christian Soldiers, and follow a divine chain of command that we have no vote in.
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 ESV
So, “ When you pass by a church do you admire the cross that crowns it, and think of Jesus Christ, and all He does for you?“, Here is what I see when I pass by a church, whether a grand catholic cathedral in Europe, a tiny country church in rural Virginia, or a post chapel on a military base. I see God my Heavenly Father, Jesus my Savior, and the Holy Spirit my comforter, and I see beyond the sign out front, that announces man’s division, to see God’s inclusive nature. I feel the peace and joy that blesses man, but doesn’t belong to him, and I long for the arms of Jesus who gushes with the grace of God. I yearn for that day when all the church signs are blown down, the doors are thrown open, and every face glows with the glory of God. What do you see?
“The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”
Psalm 103:19 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your presence, and your Son Jesus Christ who builds His Church from these scattered stones, and will one day come to claim it. I thank you for peeling back the divisiveness of man, and reclaiming your Son’s bride, the Church, from the hands of those who would own it. I long to be in your presence Father, and to stand with my savior Jesus before you, singing in a new voice, and aglow with your glory. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who defends me, blesses me, and makes my path straight before me. Father praised be your name for every new friend I have made from an enemy, and for your being in the center of my life, and every place I have ever called home. Merciful are you Lord, for you are quick to forgive, even in the face of horrific battle. I pray for the soldiers who fight and lie bleeding as they are helped to pray for your forgiveness, or to profess their faith in Christ with their dying breath. Your grace abounds Father, and is offered to us from the cup of Christ... help us to drink from it, and teach us not to hold any back from it who would come to know Jesus, ask your forgiveness, and obey your commandments. Hear this my prayer, and usher me towards you with great haste, and unyielding resolve. Let my days on earth end at the gates of your kingdom, and the waiting arms of Jesus who will usher me into your favor, and light my face with your glory forevermore.
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
Psalm 84:11-12 ESV
Rich Forbes