The Mysterious King Hangs Out with Heidi

Part five of this story series ...


My car.
Circle 4 Beltway, a highway.
Encircles Lexington, Kentucky.



It doesn't matter where I'm driving or the time of day.

Every time I pass this place on Circle 4, a loop around our city of Lexington, Kentucky, I feel the same magnetic pull.

I can see it in the distance, about two miles after I pull off the entrance ramp. As it gets closer, it's all I can do to keep my eyes on the road and other drivers.

I'm just drawn to it, you see.

Then I pass it, to the right, and my head just sort of turns so that I can gaze at it. I always smile. I always breathe it in.

And I never fail to want to completely abandon my original destination, pull off the highway, and drive straight to it. All I want to do is head to the parking lot, and without abandon, walk through the doors and stay there.

Just stay there.

Just sit and hang out with The Mysterious King.

The place, you see, is my church.

How can I describe this to you, this sense of longing to be there?

King David said it best in Psalm 26:8: "I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells."

And in Psalm 84:10: "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."

Even though I know there is nothing going on in the place, sometimes I just want, like David, to sit in the quiet of the place where we worship. Just being near it -- just driving past it on a highway! -- fills me with indescribable joy. Often when I'm scurrying in my errands and I pass my church, I think to myself, "If only I could just go in there and sit for an hour, just sit, and talk to Him in the place where hundreds of people praise Him."

Worship.

For many people, it's a drudgery, a scheduled necessity to their week.

For me, it's the creme de la creme, the time when I get to hang out with The Mysterious King -- the same King who appeared to Isaiah thousands of years ago, the same King who admonished the Pharisees ... the same King who died for me. And I get to hear others around me in their joy as they worship Him, too.

And yet.

When I sense these urgings to sit in the place, to interrupt my day and just be there, He comes to me.

Yes, right in my car, He comes to me.

The Mysterious King hangs out with Heidi.

"I love hanging out with you, too," He speaks to my heart. In such moments, I turn to the passenger seat and in my mind's eye see Him sitting there, smiling at me.

In those moments, which I can tell you are completely the best of my week, I sing to Him.

And He sings over me, loving me, surrounding me, enveloping me.

My car? It becomes the place of worship to which I am longing to run.

Think of the original story of Isaiah, seeing the Mysterious King surrounded by beautiful angelic creatures. Think of his lips being touched with live coals and how his sin was forgiven. Think of the majesty that surrounded him, the glory.

Now do something for me.

Realize that all of that -- ALL of that -- is available to you, too.

The richness of His Presence is tangible. Worship does not have to be a chore for you. It can, and should be, the time when you feel the deepest joy, because after all, it's how you are made! You are made to worship and adore Him.

And in doing so, He will hang out with you, Friend with friend, and possess you with that indescribable and beautiful Presence.

Even in your car.

But wait! The story isn't over yet! Tune in tomorrow (and yes, I will blog it tomorrow!) for the awesome conclusion to the tale of The Mysterious King.