February 5, 2008
"Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the king of glory may come in." Psalm 24:7
After rereading this verse, which sounded familiar, I thought about it for a day. Then, a wow moment! "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" is in the Red Hymnal Pg.73 (and Blue Book Pg.23). Then, I asked myself the "Lutheran" question, "what does this mean?" After singing it in my head a couple of times, I picked up this meaning of the Psalm. This is about giving glory to Jesus and letting him into my heart. In it, these doors and gates are the barriers I put up as a gatekeeper named Jim. Sometimes unknowingly, I keep him out of my daily problems; I can handle this by myself. It’s called DIY (Do It Yourself), which doesn't always happen!
You see, all of us are on a lifelong journey. With the help of prayer, we are headed in the same direction. "I" and "we" just get caught up in all the daily stuff and forget to pray for help. Even if the answers we want are not what we expected, they turn out to be the right ones.
Our neighbor Bryan says he isn't "Spiritual" or "church people". But he changed after his mother passed away a few years ago by respecting our beliefs, and occasionally asks questions about faith. We haven't won him over, but think the Lord sent him to us as a long-term work in progress. He is his own gatekeeper from Christianity, and we still pray for him.
With prayer giving glory to Jesus by asking for wisdom, peace and understanding, keeps us on our Christian journey. By his grace we can pick up the fallen and lost along the way, pointing them to Jesus as The Way. So, turn to page 73, "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" and hit that record button in your head. Then play it back to start your day.
Lord, give us the wisdom to overcome these obstacles that keep us from you. Help us to be a blessing to the lives we touch and the lives that touch us each day. Amen.
Jim Paulsen