We are standing on holy ground

“Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. ¹¹And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. ¹²Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.³And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” ¹⁴So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” ¹⁵Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.” Joshua 5:10-15 NKJV

Lord God,

They celebrate passover which brings the community together. The manna came to an end before they prepared to move forward into the promised land. Joshua is out taking a look at what was to come, is confronted by an imposing figure with sword drawn! Joshua does not seem to be overly threatened, and asks if the man is foe or friend. Joshua’s nature is not to kill first and ask later! Strangely the man says no. He is neither? But he is commander of the Lord’s army. Joshua fell down and worshiped – what an immediate response and he does not ask about the battle to come, or about the future or for help.

He asks the Lord what He would have his servant Joshua do. Joshua is a leader, he is a warrior and he is confident. But in the presence of God he immediately becomes an obedient servant. You God do not have to tell him to humble himself, but just to take of his shoes as he is on holy ground, Just as You asked Moses to remove his at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). Stepping away from the dust of his life to Your holy ground God.

Lord, I know You loathe death and murder and killing. And yet You know that this world is fallen and evil men and women do evil things. No one can make You take sides. You see above and over what we understand. But we do look to You to help us fight the evil that drives men and women to do their worst. Paul says we also fight against principalities and powers,rulers of the darkness of this age, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). I don’t fully understand but am comforted by an image, a theophany (a visible manifestation) of You God with sword drawn who is not against us but because of Jesus is for us.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Worship Friday 6th March 2026
Sometimes like Joshua we sense His presence and feel we are on Holy ground.

We are standing on holy ground
And I know there are angels all around
Let us praise Jesus now
We are standing in His presence on holy ground

Lyrics: Geron Davis

“²The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high. ³The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple. ⁴He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls. ⁵Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. ⁶The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. ⁷In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. ⁸The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. ⁹So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks. ¹⁰And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.” 1 Kings 6:2-10 NLT

Our Father God,

The Temple was erected with quiet, silent order. The stones were prepared in the quarry made to exact measured sizes. The Temple was precise in its measurements to a design handed down by You. Lord to David. There would have been a respectful silence while it was being put together. I wonder if that made the builders speak in hushed tones and respectfully? Watching as we say there P’s and Q’s. No oaths?

I have been in Cathedral’s when there has been no one else present and the silence has been almost tangible, peaceful. It is pure and one can almost sense the years of prayer and scripture and worship. I have been in Pentecostal churches and paused to look round as I have enjoyed a cup of tea after the service. And could sense the joy and worship of the previous services echoing down the years. I have been in churches held in school halls and sensed as I walked in Your presence replacing the noisy weekly use by school children.

There is something precious about the place where prayer and praise is. Where a space is respected as welcoming a King. Not any King but You, the King of Kings. There needs to be no worldly noises or speech but worship that gives honour to the One, You who cannot be contained in a building but deign to meet us there. Glorious Temple, Church or adapted rooms. Keep us respectful of being in Your presence and yet warm, welcoming and forgiving to little ones and those who do not yet know You.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Wednesday 28th May 2025
The story of this worship is below under the lyrics.

We are standing on holy ground
And I know there are angels all around
Let us praise Jesus now
We are standing in His presence on holy ground

When I walked through the door, I sensed His presence
And I knew this was a place where love abounds
For this is the temple, Jehovah God abides here
We are standing in His presence on holy ground

Chorus . . .

Lyrics: Geron Davis

Verse not included in video
In His presence there is joy beyond all measure,
and at His feet peace of mind can still be found.
And if you have a need, I know He has the answer;
reach out and claim it for we are standing on holy ground

In many ways, Geron Davis (1964 – ) was a typical teenager in the small town of Savannah, Tennessee. But he was a pastor’s kid who liked to write songs. When the time came for the dedication of their new church building, Geron’s dad asked him to write a song for the special occasion. Geron agreed to, but he realized he had 2 months to write it. Every week or two, his father asked him for a progress report… and each time Geron had to admit he hadn’t written it yet.

The night before the dedication, his father asked again, and Geron answered, “No sir, but I’m fixin’ to.”It was almost midnight. Geron went into the new sanctuary, dimmed the lights, and sat down at the new piano. He asked himself: What do we want to say when we come into this building tomorrow for our first worship service? The words came to him pretty quickly after that – in 15 minutes he had written the song his father had been waiting on… this song.

Early the next morning, he taught it to his younger brother and sister, and the 3 sang it together at the church service.19-year-old Geron had no idea what was going to happen to that song. The governor of Arkansas at that time, Bill Clinton, heard the song and liked it. After he became president, he had it sung at his mother’s funeral. That’s where Barbara Streisand heard it… and asked if she could sing it on her next CD.

David Geron is still amazed at what happened to his song: “It doesn’t matter how powerful, how big, how popular, how wealthy, how well-known you are. When we come into God’s presence, we’re all on level ground. And it’s holy ground.”