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Gatekeepers
Psalm 84:10 – A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. (NLT)
Several years ago, at the University of the Nations, a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base in Kona, Hawaii, I was a gatekeeper. My job was to screen visitors who approached the gate by car, and to let them through. As people drove up, I would check for a sticker on their window. If they didn't have one, they would have to state their business. If their reason for being on campus appeared legitimate, I could raise the wooden barrier, and they would be able to access what the campus had to offer.
This assignment was an important responsibility. I had to be alert and on my toes. I realized that my job monitored peoples' access to the opportunities of YWAM's purpose: "to know God and to make Him known". The stickered cars obviously had some connection to this purpose. Other vehicles approaching carried tradespeople, or the frequent delivery drivers, or visitors arriving for a child's birthday party. I never actually encountered anyone suspicious.
Just as we gatekeepers protected the campus from unauthorized vehicles, the gatekeepers in the Old Testament "were responsible for guarding the entrance to the house of the Lord when that house was a tent." (1 Chronicles 9:23b NLT) They even slept nearby. Later, they opened the gates of the temple every morning, and cared for the interior and the articles of worship. They had to be honest, reliable, and trustworthy in their jobs.
The tabernacle and the temple needed gatekeepers to guard and care for them because they were the house of the Lord. In Moses' day, the tabernacle was where the presence of God was most powerful. Once it was complete, "the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle." (Exodus 40:34b NLT) Five hundred years later, Solomon dedicated a beautiful temple, and the musicians and singers praised the Lord. "At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God." (2 Chronicles 5:13b-14 NLT)
Today, the presence of the Lord is most powerful when believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit gather together. The apostle Paul reminds us, "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT)
We who know the Lord have the awesome privilege of being His gatekeepers. Let us give others access to His very presence by living attractive lives that make Him evident and available.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the wonderful opportunity that we have to be gatekeepers, allowing others to experience Your presence. Help us not to take this responsibility lightly. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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By Psalm 84:10 – A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. (NLT)
Several years ago, at the University of the Nations, a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base in Kona, Hawaii, I was a gatekeeper. My job was to screen visitors who approached the gate by car, and to let them through. As people drove up, I would check for a sticker on their window. If they didn't have one, they would have to state their business. If their reason for being on campus appeared legitimate, I could raise the wooden barrier, and they would be able to access what the campus had to offer.
This assignment was an important responsibility. I had to be alert and on my toes. I realized that my job monitored peoples' access to the opportunities of YWAM's purpose: "to know God and to make Him known". The stickered cars obviously had some connection to this purpose. Other vehicles approaching carried tradespeople, or the frequent delivery drivers, or visitors arriving for a child's birthday party. I never actually encountered anyone suspicious.
Just as we gatekeepers protected the campus from unauthorized vehicles, the gatekeepers in the Old Testament "were responsible for guarding the entrance to the house of the Lord when that house was a tent." (1 Chronicles 9:23b NLT) They even slept nearby. Later, they opened the gates of the temple every morning, and cared for the interior and the articles of worship. They had to be honest, reliable, and trustworthy in their jobs.
The tabernacle and the temple needed gatekeepers to guard and care for them because they were the house of the Lord. In Moses' day, the tabernacle was where the presence of God was most powerful. Once it was complete, "the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle." (Exodus 40:34b NLT) Five hundred years later, Solomon dedicated a beautiful temple, and the musicians and singers praised the Lord. "At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God." (2 Chronicles 5:13b-14 NLT)
Today, the presence of the Lord is most powerful when believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit gather together. The apostle Paul reminds us, "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT)
We who know the Lord have the awesome privilege of being His gatekeepers. Let us give others access to His very presence by living attractive lives that make Him evident and available.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the wonderful opportunity that we have to be gatekeepers, allowing others to experience Your presence. Help us not to take this responsibility lightly. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.