It’s Friday! We’ve almost made it to the non-existant weekend. Yeah!
Read this to start: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+24&version=NIV
Psalm 23 is pure Gospel- it asks nothing of the sheep. Psalm 24 asks a whole lot! But first it tells us the whole world is the Lord’s and that we can’t go to God unless our hands and heart are pure. It sounds very Disney fairy tale like. Well your heart is pure but your hands aren’t purelled. If only some woodland creatures could lick your hands clean. But I digress. It also tells us to lift up our heads and praise and seek God.
All of these things make sense in the natural order of the psalms we’ve heard. In 22- We hear of Jesus giving us his life and his love. 23 continues the vein of what God, the good Shepherd, has done for us. 24 is what’s our response to all of that? Clean and contrite hearts and hands- certainly- how does that happen? That’s what the shepherd does. He cleans the flock and restores it. If you want an illustration of that watch this lovely video I made last week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1CmuTk9o0Y&t=29s
It tells us to seek after God but then wonder about God. Who is this king of glory? Which reminds me of the old Third day song… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqo-adRyM_k
Then it uses some poetry I haven’t heard before. Not just lift up heads to God but lift your ancient doors. What does that mean? Open all those things that block us from God. Maybe it’s busyness that prevents us from seeing God or apathy or stubbornness or doubt. Let that stuff go. Open your heart- open your doors to the king of glory. Let go and let God! Someone better than you cares for you more than you do! Let God tear down your walls and doors you’ve locked from the inside. May he clean your heart and your hands so you may look up to Him with confidence and give him glory!
Marking It Up 