A Beautiful Entry

“Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful. . .” Acts 3:2a

Certain words or phrases from the Word of God can really resonate with our spirits, can’t they? That’s how I feel when I read the phrase “the temple gate called Beautiful.” As I read it, my spirit says yes.

This scripture, of course, refers to the temple in Jerusalem not long after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension. My NIV text note tells me that this gate was, in fact, the favorite entrance to the temple court. How fitting that it should be known as Beautiful. What better name could there be for a gate that gave entry to the house of God, that people passed through on their way to worship?

And today? Our entry—our privilege of entering the Lord’s presence—is still Beautiful. What’s more, we don’t have to go to the temple (or our local church) to do it. With a simple turning of our thoughts . . . or lifting of our eyes . . . or falling to our knees . . . or bowing of our heads . . . or whisper of His name, we can enter into worship wherever we are. All we need to do is turn to Him.

Turning to Him—a beautiful entry indeed . . .

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;” Psalm 95:6

*Flickr photo by mkreyness, Creative Commons License