I'm Runnin' to the Mercy Seat

Angie Mitchell sang a song Sunday morning by Vicki Yohe called Mercy Seat. It was beautiful. And this morning, I woke up with it singing through my heart and mind. This was also the morning I met with my prayer partners, so I decided to do a quick search through biblegateway.com before they got here and see what it had to say about the mercy seat. In a nutshell, in the Old Testament, God told Moses to tell Aaron not to come in to the mercy seat except once a year. And he wasn't to come casually. He was to come with awe and respect--and a clean heart--and God's presence would meet him there. There, he made a sacrifice for the sins of the people. Then I read Romans 3:23-26 and saw where it said Jesus made a life-giving sacrifice on the mercy seat where our sins are forgiven so he could demonstrate and prove at the present time (or as the Amplified adds---and I love this---"the now season") that he is righteous and accepts those with faith as righteous.

There is a "now season" for mercy. The mercy seat is also a place of refuge. In the Old Testament, when a person accidentally killed someone else, there was a city of refuge where they could run and be safe. The mercy seat is that for us---our refuge.

I'm runnin' to the mercy seat. As I've been working through this book, I've been overcome with the sin in my heart. Sin I didn't even know was there. God has brought it to the surface--because I'm willing. I'm willing for it be exposed and I'm willing to bring it to the mercy seat and find forgiveness, righteousness. I know God is purifying the bride of Christ. And I'm trying to do my part. But I sort of feel like He's gotten out his firehose to hose me down and clean me up. No bubble bath and frou-frou creams for this daughter!!
But I'm runnin' to the mercy seat where Jesus' grace will cover me.