In Psalm 23:6 the Amplified Bible says, “… through the length of days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.” This could possibly be applied to eternity, but I think the application is for this life. So how do I enter into His holy presence? There is only one way, and Jesus nailed it in John 14:6, “I am the way …” He is the perfect substance of the Old Testament shadow given in the scheme of the tabernacle of God’s presence, into which no one could enter without first coming to the altar at the entry of the court gate where sacrifice was made for sin; Jesus is our sin sacrifice being the substance of those Old Testament sacrifices, (see Hebrews 9:26) and we can only “come to God through Him” Hebrews 7:25. Now having come by the altar where our sins were purged and removed there are two more steps to entering into the fullness of, and abiding in, His presence; Psalm 24:3-5 says, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart …” Our heart is made pure at the altar, but the clean hands speak to the integrity of our conduct in daily business being brought into compliance with God’s word. Remember the priests had to wash their hands daily at the laver which is a symbol of His word to which we must align ourselves. And thirdly, we “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise” Psalm 100:4. Keep in mind that He is “enthroned in the praises of Israel” (His people) Psalm 22:3; that is He inhabits, sits down, dwells, and remains in the midst of the praises of His people. All these are essential, and you can’t “religiously” reverse the order!
Enter God’s presence
By Rose Hill
How do you enter God’s holy place,
And receive of His favor and grace?
How do you come into His presence divine,
And receive what you need every time?
You must really seek the God above,
And want to experience all of His love.
You must be sorry for every sin,
And come the way of repentance to Him.
In the word of God you must take a look,
And read and study His holy book.
In it you will see your own reflection,
And allow God to make any correction.
This is how you enter God’s presence divine,
God’s word changes you every time.
You will worship in God’s holy place,
With His glory and joy upon your face.
Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.