How Big is Your Chair?
“You are the Holy One, enthroned. You are Israel’s praise.” - Psalm 22:3
Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to talk with a wonderful woman of God about a sermon she heard concerning this verse. She talked about how the preacher had a vision of an angel appearing to him and asking him, “How big is your chair?” He didn’t understand at first until the Lord reminded him of Psalm 22:3. He then realized the chair was referring to God’s seat of praise in his life.
“How big is your chair?” has been circulating in my thoughts through the last few weeks. In what areas have I made the seat of praise for my Lord large, and in what areas have I sectioned off for other gods? Is my life a song of praise in which the Holy One is enthroned, or is my life compartmentalized into various songs sung to the many masters I am serving?
At a worship night with our young adult group I was singing the song “Holy Spirit.” The chorus is one in which there is a welcoming of the Holy Spirit. I thought of past conversations I have had with people in which they have argued against this song. “How can you welcome the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit already dwells within us?” “Why are we asking the Holy Spirit to come when the Holy Spirit is already in the room?”
However, if those asking these questions would realize what other things they have invited or welcomed, they might be asking for the Holy Spirit to come and welcome the Holy Spirit’s presence. It seems that if we were more focused on making the Lord’s seat in our lives bigger, we would be more welcoming and inviting to His presence. Our awareness, attention, and focus may be shifted in inviting and welcoming the Lord.
Coming back to Psalm 22:3, our Holy One is enthroned in our praise. His seat is first, foremost, primary, priority. But isn’t it interesting how often we empower other things to take that seat? Isn’t it awful how much we give preeminence to other gods for the thrones of our hearts? What things are lifting higher than Jesus? What things are we enthroning with our praises?
I believe that in our praise we are declaring to whom and to what we belong. Is it any wonder that when we allow our seats of praise to be filled with insecurities we lack confidence? Or that when we esteem our possessions we are placing value and joy upon temporary items? Is it surprising that our worship of finances leads to a feeling of belonging based upon our obtaining or lack of currency?
In praise we make agreement with the object of our devotion. I wonder how many of us have agreed with the lies of worry, doubt, fear, anxiety, presuppositions, confusion, stress, lack, pain, wounds, and culture? I wonder how many of us have focused more on making the seat of praise large for everything else but God?
“Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? Don’t you know that you have the Holy Spirit from God, and you don’t belong to yourselves? You have been bought and paid for, so honor God with your body.” - 1 Cor. 6:19-20
My challenge for us as Christ followers and children of the Most High King is how big is our chair of praise for our loving Lord? To whom or what are declaring that we belong, and to whom or what are agreeing with?
“Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy, which is what you are. Don’t fool yourself. If some of you think they are worldly-wise, then they should become foolish so that they can become wise. This world’s wisdom is foolishness to God. As it’s written, He catches the wise in their cleverness. And also, The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are silly. So then, no one should brag about human beings. Everything belongs to you— Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things in the present, things in the future—everything belongs to you, but you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.” 1 Cor. 3:23
May we be those who have given the seat of the throne of their hearts to the Lord in every manner. May we be those who have declared our belonging to the Father and our agreement with His will and Kingdom. May we be those who do not brag about human beings or the things of this world, but instead recognize our consistent need, inviting and welcoming the Holy Spirit to dwell on the seat we are enlarging with more and more praise. Amen.
