JUNE 29

CLEANSING THE INNER CHAMBER

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51”10)

Surely, as we learn to draw our life from deep within, where Christ is fully enthroned in the inner chamber, there must be nothing there which would defile that life. The cleansing must be complete, “and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” (Ps. 103:1).

In one of his visions, Ezekiel was brought to a wall, and when he digged in the wall came to a door, when he went in, he saw “what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery.” (Ez. 8:12). He was shocked, for here were forms of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and idols portrayed upon the walls of this chamber. While they were supposed to be the elders of Israel, the leaders of the people, they held within them, in their own inner chambers, imaginations of utter depravity. Surely the inner chambers of our imagination need to be cleansed and made fully pure. Praise God, the Word of God is quick, and powerful, “and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12).

Only God knows what “distorted images” are engraven in our inner being, in our concepts, in our imagination, and these distortions pervert and mar the truth, so that we hold opinions and thoughts which do not truly express the right. The “inner picture” which some have of God is a gross caricature, a grotesque or ludicrous exaggeration. His wrath is distorted in both its expression and purpose. His love is weak and ineffective. His will is subservient to the will of man, and His co-existence with a big bad devil is preposterous. No wonder some people do not care to “dwell within,” they could not live with comfort in this inner chamber, shut in with these awful concepts of God, their nightmares would drive then into insanity.

Praise God, He is “cleansing the inner house” of all false images, and we are seeing Him in a new and precious way. Indeed He is becoming all-together lovely and wonderful, and we bow low to worship before Him.