Readings for today: Ezekiel 41-44
There is nothing like experiencing the glory of the Lord’s presence in your life. Unexpected times when He makes Himself known to us through a sunrise or on a hike in the mountains or at the shore of a pristine lake or powerful ocean. Tender times when He makes Himself known to us in our weakness and vulnerability. The loss of a loved one. A fearful diagnosis. The breakdown of a close relationship. Redemptive times when He makes Himself known to us in our failure and sin. A mistake that costs us dearly. A fall that causes all kinds of pain. A self-destructive choice that ripples out into our lives. This is true for us not only personally but collectively as well. Powerful times of worship with God’s people. Seasons of revival in life when entire churches and communities experience the power of His presence. I’ve even witnessed entire villages and regions bowing the knee to Jesus Christ as He makes Himself known through miraculous signs and wonders. It’s amazing.
As Ezekiel’s visions come to a close, he sees the glory of the Lord firsthand and it brings him to his knees in awe and wonder and worship. It reminds him of earlier times in his life when he saw the glory of God destroy the city or visit him down by the Chebar River. This vision, however, is different. God is returning to His city. God is returning to His Temple. God is returning to His people. It’s a vision of hope. A vision of a future where God’s people will be purified and sanctified and made holy. A vision of a time coming when they will serve the Lord with all their hearts and cast aside their idolatry. It’s a vision of national revival. The renewal of a nation. The return of Israel from exile. It was overwhelming. And it serves as a great reminder to us that all is never lost. Not with God. Even in the darkest moments of our lives, He is with us and He is working out His plan for us.
I recently came across the account of a pastor who lived in Europe during the Second World War. His community had become the epicenter of a great battle between the Allied Forces and Nazi Germany. One evening as the sun was setting over the horizon, both armies pulled back to regroup. A great silence fell over the battlefield. He looked up in the waning daylight to see the spire of a church still standing tall despite the shelling that had taken place that day. It gave him hope. All of a sudden, a lone artillery shell came out of nowhere and blew the spire apart. A flock of birds happened to be resting on that spire and as the shell came in, they simply lifted up above the destruction, and once the dust had settled, nested back down in the ruins. The pastor later wrote, “It felt like the glory of God to me. Rising above all the chaos and tumult of our world and then resting back down with us in the ruins.” I think that’s about right.
We do not place our hope in anything built by human hands. Not Temples. Not churches. Not great cities or empires. All of them will eventually come crumbling down. The only hope we have is God. And the only way we will taste that hope is to experience His presence. And the only way we will experience His presence is by cultivating a deep, abiding awareness of Him in our daily lives through prayer and worship and meditation on His Word. Friends, God promises to make Himself known to all who seek Him with their whole heart.
Readings for tomorrow: Ezekiel 45-48