What Did You There?
By Elizabeth Cole
“Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”
Psalm 105:2-4
Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
I’ve been to London to visit the queen.
Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.
Can you imagine the thrill of it all? The long trip to London, the anticipation of entering the throne room, the privilege of being in the same place at the same time with the queen herself. I have to think that not every pussycat has had the chance to rub shoulders (or ankles, in this case) with royalty.
And yet, upon further query, we find that our little tabby’s focus appears to have been far more on her potential prey than on her potentate. Thinking only of her next meal, she misses out completely on the honor before her. Did she ever once lift up her eyes from floor-level and behold the face of the queen? What a waste of a trip. What a squandered opportunity.
Unlike the pussycat, there’s no long trip required for us to enter the throne room of our King. As His dearly loved children, we have the privilege of His presence always. And we are told in Scripture that we are able to confidently approach the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
The prophet Isaiah gives us a vision of the throne room, “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” He goes on to describe angels flying and calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” What an achingly beautiful picture of our King, what an incredible privilege…I wouldn’t want to miss it for the sake of counting tiles on the floor.
Look in His face. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Look up!
GOING DEEPER:
1. My aunt, a college professor, uses this nursery rhyme to emphasize the concept of focus. On what are you focusing the eyes of your heart today?
2. What can you do to avoid wasting the privilege of being in the presence of the King today?
FURTHER READING:
Hebrews 4:16; Isaiah 6:1-3; Psalm 121:1
Elizabeth is a wife, mother to three daughters- - two teen-aged, one adult - - and Director of Connecting and of We Women at Oakwood Church.
