Are You Sitting Here?
I’m one of those weirdos that enjoy playing games…against himself. I like competition, but I also like the laughter that comes from competing against myself. One of my favorite games to play in college and seminary was getting to class early and sitting in a new seat.
I went to both a small university and seminary, so after the first class, although we didn’t have assigned seats, people would sit in the same place every class time. When I would sit in a new seat it was fun to meet new people, but it was also fun to see people’s responses. Although these people associated as Christians, I would get some pretty good stink eyes from them as they saw that ‘their’ seat had been taken and that they needed to find a whole new place to plop their bottoms.
In my mind, it was quite funny. It was comical because I know that I would respond in the same way: “Does this person really have the nerve to take my seat?”
Anyways, you know the saying, “It’s only funny when it happens to someone else?” Right? Right.
This past Sunday during worship service at my home congregation I was asked by a person attending worship, “Are you sitting here?”
Oh no. Payback time for all the innocent victims I had stolen seats from in college and seminary courses. It was time for Cam to experience his own ‘fun’ game.
As obvious as the answer was going to be, it struck me as a deeper question in my heart and mind. It was not just the question of a man looking for his normal seat in Sunday service, but it was the prompting of the Holy Spirit brooding over my heart, leading me into a greater connection with love and growth. It was the guiding inquiry of One who wanted to play a fun game with me that day.
So, rather than running from the question, I entered in.
Responding to this man, I said, “You know what. I’d love for you take this seat. I have to leave for our other campus in 5 minutes anyway, and I’d rather you have this seat.” He was shocked and tried to fight it with apologies, but I insisted and stood in the back during the next worship song.
I was a little thrown off and quite distracted after this, feeling angry but not able to pinpoint exactly why I was feeling that way. Nevertheless, I engaged in worship and as the next song played, we sang, “You can have it all, Lord! Every part of my world. Take this life and breathe on this heart that is now Yours.”
I giggled to myself and asked my own heart, “How is it that I can sing this song, but be so frustrated by giving up a seat?” In this moment the Lord spoke so clearly and beautifully. I felt like I heard Him say, “It’s not about the physical seat, it’s about the spiritual seat. You’re sitting in MY seat.”
Okay, this game has gone too far. Now Jesus wants to play the game that I once thought was funny, but that I now think is a sick and twisted joke! Yet again, I pressed in, not evading or rushing past this holy moment.
Introspectively I viewed my habits, my performance, my leadership, my activities, my resting, my writing, my relationships, my life. As I looked inward I saw something interesting. It was good stuff, but it was exhausted. It was not the best it could be. It was not as full as it could be. But, why?
Simply put, I was sitting in the wrong seat.
I was sitting in the seat of the King. The Humble King continued to approach me time after time asking if I was sitting there not to annoy me but to remind me that He is God and I am not. He was revealing to me that the throne of my heart is shaped for the only One who formed it before I was born. He was taking the time to help me practice what I was singing, “You can have it all, Lord!”
So, I stood there in the back and simply gave up my seat. I stood there hands empty, heart in expectation, head churning a mile a minute, waiting for what was next. And, do you know what happened?
Nothing.
There wasn’t a vision. There wasn’t a feeling. There wasn’t a fire, an earthquake, a strong wind, or anything else. But, there was a silence. A still small voice. A quiet reminder that peace transcends my understanding. That this love goes beyond emotionalism. That the Presence of the Eternal Father, Son, and Spirit is much greater than any words can describe.
It was freedom; freedom in knowing that God is God and that I am not; liberty in experiencing the giving of the greatest seat, the best chair, the throne of praise and adoration. It was a marker moment of a shifting for a different lifestyle. A lifestyle in which the first seat is the one I give and the second seat is the one I receive. A way of life in which Yahweh inhabits the praises of His people (Ps. 22:3), not me, or you.
So, my question for you today, not playing any games or looking for any specific reactions, “Are you sitting here?” Are you taking the seat that belongs to the King? Are you situated on the throne of your heart? Or have you given this seat to the Father who wants to sit there, not out of needing your worship, but out of simply desiring to be with you?
What’s the best part of giving this seat to the Father? He’s a Father that wants to be with His children. He picks you up and puts you on His lap and empowers you to live from a seat of identity, confidence, peace, and love.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather sit on Abba’s lap than try to take His seat. And in all honesty, my seat, your seat, our seat, is with Him anyways.
So, let’s get up, move over, and let the King take the seat on the throne of our hearts. Freedom is waiting. Identity is calling. Confidence is knocking. And peace and love are presently asking you, “Are you sitting here?”
I think we know the answer, or at least what we can respond with this time. Amen.
“Yet I know that you are most holy; it’s indisputable. You are God-Enthroned, surrounded with songs, living among the shouts of praise of your princely people.” — Psalm 22:3 (TPT)
