In a recent message given during our Tuesday night prayer meeting, we heard about the subject of holy ground. This is mentioned a few times in the Bible. The one we are most familiar with is the story of Moses and the burning bush.
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.
Exodus 3:5
Why was it that God declared that place to be holy ground? It was just a piece of rock in the wilderness. Was there anything special about that place? The answer is; God was there. A holy place is a place where we meet with God.
Have you ever had a place in your life that was special to you because of the only thing you did there. I know I have. In my family’s home, we have a garage, and in that garage, there is a workbench. At that workbench, I have spent hours and hours; I have no idea how much time I have spent there; working away on some wooden project or other. Chipping away the wood with a chisel and hammer, grinding it down with a rasp, or making it smooth with some sandpaper. That place is special to me, it is “holy”, set apart for woodworking. Every time I go there, I smell the fresh pine sawdust, feel the handle of my tools, and I know that I am in a special place. It has a meaning to me, deep down. And every time I step inside a different garage or workshop, that has some similarities: the shape, the smell of the wood, it reminds me of my own special spot, and I get that feeling that I am in a “holy” place.
Do we, do I, have such a spot for Jesus? Do we get that feeling deep down, that when we step into a Church sanctuary or other place dedicated to worshipping God, we are entering a holy place? We might not take off our shoes. In some places it is good to wear footwear for sanitary reasons or protection of your toes, but do we ever have that attitude of reverence and awe, because we are in a place where people meet with God? Think of the privilege that we have. Moses met with God the first time at the burning bush. After that, he still longed to meet with God. He asked God if he could just see Him. At the core of every believer, we long, desire, yearn to see God. We may not be able to see God with our physical eyes. That will have to wait, but through Jesus Christ, God has opened the way for us to come sit at his feet and meet with Him.
I think that that God deserves a place in our lives where we meet with Him alone, a spot that is set apart for just Him. If one of my little siblings were to take some of their toys and go play with them on top of the workbench in my family’s garage, I would probably say, “You can’t play with that here. This is a spot for working only. Go play in your bedroom.” To have a place that is holy, set apart for meeting with God, you can’t do other things there. It just isn’t proper. If we do something that doesn’t involve our meeting with Jesus on holy ground, it loses it’s meaning and just becomes another piece of rock.
We might say, that we are supposed to be in fellowship with Jesus all the time; never stop worshipping and praying to Him. That is so true, but do we? I don’t know of a single person who has mastered that way of living fully. So, anyways, if we are supposed to pray without ceasing, why should we have just one place where we meet with God? We can’t very well live in that spot. Having one place where we meet with God consistently every day is the first step. Once we develop this habit firmly, as we live, other places will remind of us of our little meeting place, and you find yourself wanting to pray. Eventually, step by step, we find ourselves working towards praying without ceasing.
This whole concept sounds very beautiful and inspiring, but do not be fooled. It takes hard work. It requires much practice and perseverance to achieve these goals. There can be all sorts of things that will distract us and try and make our holy places for other uses. However, one day, we will be able to live in and never leave our meeting place with God. It’s called heaven.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21:3