Psalm 24
1The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in
it;
2for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy
place?
4Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their
souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of
their salvation.
6Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the
God of Jacob.
7Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the
King of glory may come in.
8Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in
battle.
9Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the
King of glory may come in.
10Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.
Reading this Psalm this morning, I immediately thought of the roll-up door
at the Open Door Exchange warehouse. This is the door that we lift when
we need to move furniture in and out. It’s a bit ancient—we manually lift it
by pulling a heavy metal chain, and the whole apparatus takes some
muscle to overcome its clunky stubbornness. But that ancient door opens
us to endless encounters with the face of God and to receive blessing upon
blessing.
Psalm 24 assures us that God comes to us. And when we stop for a
moment and really think about that, it’s pretty astonishing. The one who
made everything, who rules everything, who is strong and mighty—this
God doesn’t stay perched on the throne. God enters and comes to us.