#Godisthere

Everyday we have the gift of the Holy Spirit in us and around us so that God is always there. My word for 2020 has been “Gifts”. For many of us 2020 has been everything but a gift. As I have suffered the loss of my Dad, many of you have suffered a loss or hardships as well. In the old testament, temples had to be built for God to be there. The book of Ezekiel gives us a clear picture of the new temple. In Ez 48: 8 NIV we read how the temple is to be presented as a “special gift”.

“Bordering the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and its length from east to west will equal one of the tribal portions; the sanctuary will be in the center of it”.

If an old biblical temple is a special gift, housing God, then our bodies as temples are a special gift as well. In Cor 6:19 NIV, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you whom you have received from God? You are not your own”. One of the many blessings of this gift is that God is with us always. In Ez 48:35 NIV we learn what the name, Jehovah-Shammah means.

“The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: The Lord is There”.

If God is there, then he is always near. In the song God is near by Rend collective, we sing “Hallelujah God is Near”. A few of the lyrics sing, “Closer than a whisper, close enough to hear my heartbeat, closer than a kiss, close enough to raise my heartbeat”.

Last week Deborah talked about brokenness. Often in the brokenness we feel like God has left us. The Bible tells us in Psalm 34: 18 NIV the exact opposite; “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. October is Mental Health awareness month. Some people are so broken, they do not see themselves as a gift or worthy to house that special gift. In fact, we are all worthy of that special git, even sinners like you and me.

Let us all remember to pray for those that are crushed in spirit. May they feel God’s presence and know that He is there with them always.