In the fracturing? oh! yes............ there is so much of that....... More and more I hear the words tumbling out of my heart and out past the reach of my lips - - again and again.....:
"We live in a broken world."
He called out to us and said, "Despise not...... Despise not the least of these!"
But each of us knows down deep, that we are each the least of these....... Yet we are all despised........ and each of us in our own turn, we despise......
And in the despising and being despised, and out from the despising and being despised, the fracturing was begun...... and the fracturing continues, ........ more fracturing day after day.... for out of the despising arises......... the offense........ and out of the offense......... all is hindered....... all are hindered........ from coming to Him........
But that is not a fracturing He is willing to leave to itself........
And so He whose love does not end........ who does not despise though He is despised........ He moves to end the fracturing, to establish the place of healing........
And that's where we might begin to see the clearest glimpses of the mist of His shroud....... His Holy shroud......
The beauty of His holiness........... has a heartbeat.......... a heartbeat of love....... a True Love that could not be conquered....... a True Love that by dying another's death conquers all.........
?.... By dying......... Aye, because True love conquers even death........ In conquering death for Himself, He conquered it for his bride!
And as the earth shuddered and broke in despair when the purest of all hearts stood still.......... and became quiet......... It was then that only living blood was finely sprinkled on the mercy seat...... - - no one saw it done....... but it was the most holy thing ever to grace this world......... And the Holy of Holies was never the same again.......
Yes, the veil was rent! But...........
The walls did not fall............
And now, this week, when He asked me to drop to my knees and ponder why the walls did not fall....... when this astonished heart kept asking Him how this amazed heart could know ---- How could the heart of this broken child give answer for the intricacies of His handiwork? ...... But He asked again....... and His words echoed back to Him - but not void.....................
While listening to the echoes ....... it was heard again! What was it? Oh! It was His heartbeat again..... His heart! Beating again and again and again and again and again! For True Love truly does conquer all. True Love even conquered death. The heart of True Love could not remain stopped...........
And that's when He took this aching heart back....... back in a flashback........ back in time......... back to the gate of the tabernacle........
And standing back in awe, looking in through the gate - where the one, the only, the singular veil, the only way in........ the Dalet.......
The Door ------ opened ......... the light of hope clearly glowing inside......... glowing warmly and welcomingly....... the light of His promise of so long ago......... the light of
the promise of providing Himself a lamb............. the light of hope held out to a broken people........... a people utterly fractured...........
Yes, The Door opened to the people........ to the fractured, weary, broken people..... and in the brokenness, they began to see the beauty of true love......... reaching out to heal........
So they saw the hope! And in the midst of that hope, He called to them - - - to enter His gates with Thanksgiving! and they entered His gates with thanksgiving and praise............
that they may see Him!
But how could they dare to come before the Holy of Holies......... without their own heart stopping - with no hope of life again........ unless they came before the mercy seat for others........... and not only for themselves............
But who can stand before such holiness when we are, oh!, so... fractured............ who can do such a task? It is fraught with utter danger...............
So He called on only One to finish the work............. but while we, in brokenness waited for Him....... one by one........... one would dare to to answer His call, and to come before the mercy seat.......... utterly unworthy, but in hope, coming on behalf of others............ while everyone else prayed for mercy upon mercy upon mercy, not only for themselves, but also for that one........ and also for that One!
..........
But when He came....... When He came to that Holy place...... When He came with that Holy heart.......... When His heart was breaking for us........ When He was torn for us.......... When He was broken for us........? Then who prayed for the one coming to sprinkle precious, pure lamb's blood upon the mercy seat?
He was so despised............ So rejected........ So offended.......... So hindered from gathering Jerusalem as He so longed to do.............. to be in their midst....... with them! But, alas, .......... He was sent out from the midst of them instead...............
And who prayed for Him?
Ahhhh! But who lifted Him up!?!
The one who loved Him........ who loved Him forever ago......... who loves Him still.......... and who will ever love Him forever and ever......... with an undying love!!!!! Who knew Him as holy long before any created one knew Him or called Him holy!
The Father who must surely have felt the piercing in His heart of hearts! Certainly that beloved Father must hold that blood which was let out for others as ................ Holy, Holy..........
Worthy of service in the Holy of Holies..........
And now, with His most holy and precious blood sprinkled upon the mercy seat........ blood poured out when His heart skipped ---- to a stop, .............. for us..........
And now, with His most holy heart renewed! .......... still aflame with love for us, with His most holy heart beating in heaven yet again ..........
Those of us from a world of brokenness; Those of us who are ourselves utterly broken; Those of us who are...... fractured?
Those of us in desperate need of hope?
Now we dare to enter His gates with victorious thanksgiving! With victorious thanksgiving and praise!
And what do we see upon entering the gate? What do we see in the warm and welcoming light of true hope - utter hope - which brings comfort to every weary heart that enter?
We begin to see a little..............
A little of the glory of His majesty.
A little of the glory of His goodness.
A little of the glory of His sacrifice.
A little of the glory of His love.
And we begin to see.........
A growing sense of the travesty.
A growing sense of the deadness.
A horrid sense of the depth of vice.
The horror of the characteristic....... of...........
...........us.
And if it were not for the light, our hope would utterly fade. But as our eyes become accustomed to the light of His hope, we sense the Spirit of the Sanctuary.........and we see........ yes, we behold......... everywhere we turn............. the power of His Testimony.........
His Testimony of......
The Way.....
The Truth......
The Life......
The way of lowering one's self for others.........
The way of not being 'as God'........
--Rather than lifting up one's selfs for one's self........
--Seeking to vault ourselves up as God........
The truth that love bears one another's burdens.........
--Rather than loading another with our burdens..........
The life that comes by giving one's life for many.........
--Rather than using up the life of others for one's gain.......
And on and on it goes..............
.............
And in this we see the unity of the Father and the Son and the Spirit........
And now, we are finally drawn in by the beauty of the holiness and purity of His sacrifice.......
Drawn in now.......... no longer afraid........
Drawn in........towards the holiness.......... towards the holy place.........
Drawn in............ And we begin to weep with joy, knowing He will dry our eyes! And we sing the
Song of Isaiah.......
O Lord, I will praise thee:
though thou wast angry with me,
thine anger is turned away,
and thou comfortest me.
Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and not be afraid:
for the Lord Jehovah is my strength
and my song;
He also is become my salvation.
And in that day shall ye say,
Praise the Lord, call upon His name,
Declare His doings among the people,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
Sing unto the Lord;
for he has done excellent things:
this is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout,
thou inhabitant of Zion:
for great is the Holy One of Israel.......
...........in the midst of thee!!!!!
Cry out and shout!
For great is the Holy One of Israel.........!!!!!!
Into the dwelling of the Most High!
Drawn to the heart......... of God
