Tuesday, November 3 2020 Devotional
"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
Psalm 24:3-5
Psalm 24 starts out with the statement, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.” That’s a good reminder for Election Day.
We’ve been living in anticipation of this day with a mixture of excitement and dread over the possible outcome. It’s good to be reminded this morning that God is still on the throne. He is in control, and everything and everyone on this earth responds to Him.
The Psalm goes on with the question and answer with which we started. “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?” After being reminded Who’s in charge we’re directed to think about how to draw near to Him.
“Clean hands and a pure heart” are needed by those who would draw near to God, who would stand in His presence. Another way to say that is “who does not lift up his soul to what is false.” If the soul is our mind, our will, and our emotions, we are being told, “Don’t give your mind, your will and your emotions to what is false.” Don’t invest yourself in what the world promises but can never deliver.
Lord, our eyes are on You. Only You can heal the brokenness of our hearts and enable us to live in forgiveness with each other. No man can bring that about. We pray for our nation today; give us peace; guide the results of today’s elections; give us the government of Your choosing. Above all, turn many people to Yourself so that we live with clean hands and pure hearts in Your presence. Our times are in Your hands, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles