The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains.

⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
⁸ Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah.

I couldn't help but to think about the relationship of the world to the church as I read verses 3 and 4. Is that the perception that the world has, that they can not come to the church because they are not clean and pure? Is that the image that the church portrays, that our sanctuaries and  services are  holy? If that is in fact true at any level then it is no wonder the world is staying away from the church by the thousands.

Jesus says, Matthew 11:28-29  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

 Romans 3:10-12 says, ¹⁰ as it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one;
¹¹ There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;¹² All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.

Our churches and our gatherings should be places where first and foremost we invite the presence of the Lord, where we allow those, who like ourselves have unclean hands and impure hearts, to come and be changed in and by the presence of the most holy God.

To the church today I say with the psalmist, "⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in!"  Make way in your program today, open wide your doors to the presence of the most high God, the King of Glory and watch as many come and are changed in His presence.

To those outside the church today I say with the psalmist, The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. ² For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers. ⁹ Lift up your heads, ...That the King of glory may come in!

You can make a holy place for the presence of the Lord wherever you are. Invite Him. Worship Him. Sit and bask in His presence. Be changed. His invitation is to all and He will come to all who respond.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, I pray that today You would be present and in charge in churches around this country and around the world. I pray that for believers, and unbelievers alike Your presence will cause lives to be changed. I pray also that for any who cry out to you from the place where they are, regardless of where that is, that You will come to them, meet them where they are and they too will be changed. Thank You, that You made the way Father God, and Jesus that you finished the work on the cross, that now through the Holy Spirit we can be one.