Reid over at FaithGambler themes his post with an interesting question, “What makes a place holy?“. While Reid gets a bit off track from his original subject I’d like to take this idea a bit further and ask for your own thoughts on this matter.

Doing a very quick scan of the bible the first use of the words “Holy” and “Place” in the same sentence is Exodus 3:5 (NIV)

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

while the use of “Holy Place” in conjunction is first used in Exodus 26:33 (NIV)

Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

In both these cases it is God who claims the place to be sacred and in both cases it’s due to His actual presence.

The first reference of a man specifying a place as being holy is in
Genesis 28:11-21 (NIV)

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.

Unlike Jacob we create; church’s, cathedrals, home based church’s, etc., out of our need to have a common place within which to communally worship. So, when we say holy place what do we mean? I think we need to make a distinction between these edifices that we build because of our own needs and those places which are holy by Gods design. When a community of believers determines the need for a common place in which to worship, do they not enter the undertaking with much prayer and beseeching of God for his guidance and blessing? And, once completed is it not commemorated with much joyful praise for Gods gracious blessing? Even with this in mind does that actually make the place holy?

I believe that unless Gods spirit dwells within the edifice it is not holy. However, by the grace of God and through Christs atoning sacrifice we have been made holy, Hebrews 10:10

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

It’s not about the building or the place it’s about the people within and more importantly about ourselves. If the Lord dwells within you, you are a holy vessel and the walls within which you worship are made holy by the presence of the Holy Spirit in you.

My pastor is currently doing a series on prayer. One of the statements that he made last week really caught my attention. He mentioned that he prays the Lords prayer daily and that over the years it continues to amaze him how his understanding of that prayer has continued to change and grow with his own maturity.

It is with this in mind that I personally intend to write the Lords prayer daily and reflect on what it means.

Our Father, Who art in heaven,
I acknowledge that you are the creator of all there is and that you rule from a place of utmost perfection, which we call Heaven.

Hallowed be Thy Name.
It is my desire that your name be revered above all names and that your character is known by all through your names’.

Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
It is also my desire to see your perfect will be reflected in every facet of what I can know just as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
Please do not withhold from us that of yours which we need.

And forgive us our debts,
Please forgive us of our wrongs which if they were to be measured we could never repay.

as we forgive our debtors.
Lord, I acknowledge that all too often this is not the case. Please give me the strength and grace of your Spirit so I can honestly say these words.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Help me to keep my focus on you all of my days and stay the evil of this world from me and mine.

It’s my hope that you’ll also take the time to ask yourself what this prayer means to you.

• When you read the prayer what do the words mean to you?
• How does your mind interpret them?
• Do you find yourself changing where you place emphasis in the prayer based on your current circumstances?
• What line is your focus on today?

Peace,
Rong