God dwells in the praises of His people

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?..

Yet you are holy,
enthroned {dwelling} on the praises of Israel.
Psalm 22

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him
1 John 2:28

Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 3:24

We are encouraged by John to abide in God, which has various meaning in the believer's life.
In 1John chapter 2 and 3 we get dense apostolic visions how this relationship shapes our lives and makes ripples around us..

However, God is equally present in us and desires to live within our hearts' worship and adoration. Psalm 22, the great messianic-prophetic psalm, reveals this heavenly intimate relationship showing the out casted, Suffering Messiah who -In His Greatest sacrifice, in His death agony- gives us a glorious dimensions about Gd's dwelling:

“Yet you are holy, enthroned/dwelling on the praises of Israel..”
Psalm 22:3

In the patriarchal history Gd revealed his heart, many times, that he wanted a closer relationship with the Faithful. Think about Abel, Noah or Abraham.. - The encounters were closer and closer...
Later in Israel’s history, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle, a place for his presence a place for his worship - that would carry the Ark of the Covenant and the altar during the wandering period. Gd established the Levites & the dedicated priests, making their sacrifices for the people. When the Tabernacle was completed, a cloud with fire descended on the tent. God inhabited that place of worship among His people but only Moses and Aaron were allowed to approach the place, the presence of Gd ....
The encounter given by Gd always bears similar fruit: The Heaven touches the Earth giving a view, a life changing confrontation, a restoration, intimacy and a prophetic promise to the next generations.

When the Temple was built in Jerusalem by King Solomon, God spoke to him and said that He would choose the Temple to dwell. His presence, again, descended on the temple in the cloud, the sign of His favor, intimate relationship with His chosen nation and representation of his heavenly Kingdom.

At the same time, we also see that the earthly form of the Kingdom is a definite confrontation with the powers, authorities on Earth. Israel as tangible representative of Gd had a lot of conflict and tension around her journey and her land. Meanwhile the Temple building and the worship inside has a gravity around Jerusalem.

I strongly believe that without Gd's presence we can only concentrate on "wordly", mundane matters while with him we are in virtually constant interaction with our environment and can engage in the work of confrontation and rescue.

The focus is on the Lord

Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!”
Psalm 9:11, (see also Psalm 29:10; 102:12).

“Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high”
Psalm 113:5

The Lord's personality shakes you up!
Nowadays, many religious communities, especially in developed countries, try to portray their formation as a nice cutie family that worships God. But they have a drifted message. When Isaiah saw the Lord “high and exalted, seated on a throne” over all creation in heaven and earth “and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1–6), the prophet was completely overwhelmed by the presence of God.
In contrast to the shaking holiness, I myself have seen and met with such a lukewarm churches, where the church growth and church building became the highest priority. However, a new generation has now taken to the stage, only emulating their predecessors and focusing on the practicalities of the people's wavelength, they are simply the managers of the club, nowadays...

Of course, you cannot deceive the Holy Spirit - he is gradually withdrawing.. But - good news - is not retreating forever!
It means that Lord God Almighty has a restorative plan in his presence, his presence is being built by the unity in his people and this unity has a genuine effect on the neighbourhood...
We are remembered that His name is Shammah "who dwells" {Ez. 48:35}. And this straightforwardly refers to the messianic name: Immanuel.

Jesus Abides with us as We Abide in Him

“The coming of Jesus Christ to earth as a human being ushered in a new era of God dwelling with man. God literally made His dwelling among human beings, sharing in our nature and our struggles. Jesus was the mouthpiece for the will of the Father, and it was Jesus that told His disciples that abiding with Him meant abiding with the Father.”
{biblicalfoundations.org}

In the book of act we see that the apostolic circle was recognising the restoration of the davidic tent of praise and worship... When Peter gave them a surprising report about the nations {Gentiles} and how Gd reacted and gave mercy on them, James the leader of the Jerusalem community understood the prophetical background & proof of the changes. He replied:

“My brothers, listen to me.
Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree,just as it is written, {Amos 9:11}
‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the Tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’”
Act 15:13

God seeks to have His way in every area of our lives & in the lives of our neighbours. This starts with the adoratio, praise, worship and declaration - because we are his royal priesthood...

..you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim exhibit the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1Pt 2:9

To be continued...

· Dozens of Ways to Praise
· Connecting the dots

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