The Quest (for the Holy) God Help Us

I am on a quest to know the High and Lofty One ^{Isaiah 57:15} and if he wants me to be Holy, I want to be Holy. I really don’t think he meant for me to never listen to the Allman Brothers Band again, but if He did, I would do it. A.W. Tozer prayed “God help us to make at once such amendment of life as is necessary before we can experience the true meaning of the words “In Thy presence is fullness of joy.”” Rudolph Otto expressed the idea that all persons sense God and he gave what they were sensing the term numinous. “Numinous is a mystery (Latin: mysterium) that is both terrifying (tremendum) and fascinating (fascinans) at the same time.” If you don’t find God or the idea of God at least somewhat fascinating and minimally terrifying, you have never thought deeply about WHO HE might be.

            I have sought God for more than just a definition of holy, and as I have, I find that a new quality comes into my life. Jesus did say “to him who knocks it will be opened “^{Matthew  7:8 (NKJV)}

I have knocked on the door of heaven, and sometimes just stood outside screaming, up at seemingly impenetrable walls, my desire to be as holy as a human being possibly could. I have not asked Him to explain how or why, but I have become willing. If you read my first couple of blog posts you will get a clearer idea of what I mean. Meanwhile, back at the ranch,  I am still on the path and still learning, I would not dare utter the words, “I am Holy” for the only One that can say “I am Holy”, without getting in trouble,  is the One who can say “I AM” and nothing else need be said after that. One of those things I have learned is that holiness seems to be where God intersects with us at the deepest level. Holiness is not attained by swearing you will never do a wrong thing again, holiness is somewhere right underneath the motive for our motives. Holiness is what God Is and Does and we are made in His image.

Holiness is not something to just pass off as incomprehensible and unattainable, neither is it something so distasteful that it should be spit out. Holy is only distasteful and horrifying to our natural selves, ah ha!, this is why it is a spiritual thing more than a rationally realized principle.

            The path to the holy is not clear and marked out, and just up ahead it always seems to turn to the right but never goes full circle. Right at the turn is a low lying cloud just thick enough to obscure what lies ahead. I think just as the Cloud led the children of Israel in the day so the cloud of the unknown beckons us into the Holy.

            Just setting out on the quest for the Holy seems odd and out of step. There is lot’s of talk about seeking God and wanting to live for God, but I get the feeling that the idea of living for God just scratches the itch for most of us, and it just settles there like the family dog sitting on the same rug, in the same house, day after day scratching the same itch cause it just feels so good, but never getting down to the cause of the itch in the first place.

            Perhaps we want our pastors to do it for us, vicariously anointing us with it so we won’t have to actually work for it. Perhaps we are hoping for a burning bush in the desert to speak to us, or for “it” to just magically happen to us one day. Somewhere down in our corrupt little souls part of us wants to believe that if we say enough amens and bob our heads up and down on Sunday then the Spirit like a dove will descend on our heads and pronounce us clean and well pleasing. It will be a cold day in, you know where, before that ever happens. You know it and I know it.- Peace