Seeing holy as a good thing
HOLY
1. dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred.
“the Holy Bible”
synonyms: sacred, consecrated, hallowed, sanctified, venerated, revered, reverenced, divine, religious, blessed, blest, dedicated
2. (of a person) devoted to the service of God.
“saints and holy men”
synonyms: saintly, godly, saintlike, pious, pietistic, religious, devout, God-fearing, spiritual, canonised, beatified, ordained, deified
3. morally and spiritually excellent.
“I do not lead a holy life”
Holy is a difficult word. Not one we use much. Certainly not one we use much in a positive way.
And these definitions point to why.
So firstly, holy as an adjective used to describe God or anything that pertains to God. It seems to sum up everything we can’t touch, everything out of reach, behind glass or a rail or a line on the ground. Scary – like in the stories in the Bible, where people touched the things of God and were punished. Nothing that you can get your hands on and use and get up close to. God is different. Stand well back.
Secondly, holy as an adjective to describe the people of God. So I see myself as one of God’s people, but then I look at these words and I’m not so sure. No way am I saintly or godly. I don’t want to be known as pious or religious. Words like devout and God-fearing really don’t do it for me. I’m certainly not ordained or deified or beatified. This isn’t me at all.
And finally, holy as an adjective to describe a life. Morally and spiritually excellent. As if. I wish. Totally unattainable in my view. Out of reach.
So holy isn’t a word I’m drawn to using. Not foe me or my life or for spiritual things and experiences. Or even for God really. Holy sets God apart in a way that makes Him feel unattainable and unapproachable. Like it’s about being good enough and meeting a standard and I’m not even close.
And yet I want a part of this. I want to be a part of this.
Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.
In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
and will water the valley of acacias.
But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
Judah will be inhabited for ever
and Jerusalem through all generations.
Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
No, I will not.’
The Lord dwells in Zion! Joel 3:17-21
These are the final verses of the book of Joel. A vision of what is to come. For everyone – for all those who follow God as the one true God and all those who do not. And so in that day, there will be abundance and there will be devastation. There will be protection and there will be punishment. There will be presence and there will be abandonment.
God is holy. Wherever God is becomes a holy place. That place is protected, has plenty and enjoys God’s presence. Everyone will know. Everyone will see.
God is holy. Perfection. Beyond words. Beyond our wildest dreams. Awesome in the truest sense of the word. Vast and mighty and glorious and beautiful beyond anything else we have ever seen.
And so of course that means that He is set apart and that no human can ever come close to being worthy to approach Him. That’s what Jesus came to sort out, to create a way in which relationship with this awesome God can become a reality for each one of us –
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16
Approach this holy God with confidence? How is that even possible? It’s mind-blowing.
And that’s what we have to keep in mind when we come before God. It should never be boring or routine. Never be trivialised or taken for granted. We should never become complacent and lose sight of who God really is.
Every time we come before God, it is a privilege. A massive privilege. The greatest privilege there is. And so we’ll be brimming with awe and respect and anticipation every single time, right?
And anyone, including you and me, who approaches God in this way lives in His presence. His holy presence. Because wherever God is becomes a holy place. Like when Moses is going about his daily business in the wilderness, head down just getting on with his life and God comes to him in a burning bush –
‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Exodus 3:5
Just like Moses, everywhere we go has the potential to be holy ground. In fact, I’d go further. Everywhere we go is holy ground. God is everywhere all of the time. And everywhere God is becomes holy because God is holy. God is around us all of the time, waiting for us to open our eyes and see Him, open our ears and hear Him.
God came to a shepherd in a bush. Holy isn’t glamorous and out of this world. It’s right here on the streets and in the shops and in the kitchen. If we practise the presence of God, we’re not inviting God in, we’re just opening our eyes to the fact that God is there already. God has been there all along.
And so the most mundane tasks can take on a whole new significance. You may not feel like you know what I’m talking about, but you do. We’ve all had moments where time has stood still, where there’s a sense that something greater is going on here than just getting on with life, breathtaking moments of connection with something beyond…
That’s holy. Out of this world. A ‘thin place’, some describe this as, where the divide between heaven and earth becomes thin and God’s glory and holiness shine through.
In my dance class the other night, something felt different for me right from the start. Like I was fully present in a way I’d never been fully present before. We went into an exercise that I find difficult every single week. I can’t really do it as it’s meant to be done. And yet as I went into it, I thought ‘I know I can’t do this right, but I’m doing my best. Giving my all. That is all I can do. I’m giving myself to this.’
And something felt right. Different Weird. Wonderful. Awe-inspiring.
And as I came up from the floor, the teacher was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
Did you see that? Did you feel that? Tell me you felt that? That was incredible.
Nobody else had a clue what he was talking about. I knew I’d experienced something out of this world, something deeply spiritual, something holy. He knew he’d witnessed something extraordinary too.
If that is a glimpse of holy, then I want more holy in my life. I want my life to connect with the holy God. I want to devote my life to Him. I want to live in such a way that I’m open to these sacred moments, that I invite God in all His glory into my ordinary world.
I’m not pious or saintlike or religious. I don’t want to be.
But holy? Maybe my perception of the word holy is changing into something that I am drawn to. Something so awe-inspiring it takes your breath away.
I love this song. It’s a great reminder that we need to be still, take time, make space, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here.
Be still for the presence of the Lord
The Holy One is here
Come bow before Him now
With reverence and fear
In Him no sin is found
We stand on holy ground
Be still for the presence of the Lord
The Holy One is here
Be still for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around
He burns with holy fire
With splendor He is crowned
How awesome is the sight
Our radiant King of light
Be still for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around
