Skip to main content

Make way for the Glory


"When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord.  And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple" 1 Kings 8 v 10-11

This is an amazing scene.  Solomon has finished building the temple and instructs the ark to be brought up.  All the people are gathered.  And God comes and fills the temple with his presence.

Last month I had a vivid dream about our church service being interrupted by the power and glory of God.  I looked out and suddenly the chairs were cleared- everything was 'out of place'.  Someone helped me find my place in the order of service 'script' as I was worship leading.  Someone called out 'can we have the chairs back?'.  When I went out to the bathroom a door was hanging off it's hinge as though 'the place had been shaken'.  (This reminded me of the place in Acts 4: 31 where it says "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken...").  It happened suddenly and it's was initiated by God.  I felt it was important for our particular congregation in the dream, for us to continue on with the service and bring order back after the time had clearly finished.  It was like the glory of God had come like a wind and swept through.

I was praying yesterday morning, giving my concerns over to the Lord and I asked him for 'something', some help.  Interestingly he gave me the reference of 1 Kings 8 in my mind to look up which I was fairly sure wouldn't have to do with what I was praying about.

As I read the chapter the above verses stood out to me and I knew that was what God wanted to show me.  Even with the 'very structure of service' God had ordained for the priests, even commanded, he interrupted that work with his glory.  His presence took precedence even over performing the duties of the law.  In fact the glory of God was so heavily manifest they 'could not...'. It was confirmation to me that we must be willing and ready to submit all the good and Godly intentions we have to make room for his glory.  That we are willing and ready for him to interrupt on his terms and timing and say 'yes Lord'- that his glory takes precedence.

Make room for the King.  Let his glory reign.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflections on the book of Ruth: Naomi's bitterness and blessing

“...the Lords hand has gone out against me” Ruth 1 v 13  So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.  When they arrived in Bethlehem the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, ‘Can this be Naomi?’ Don’t call me Naomi, she told them.  Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.  I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.  Why call me Naomi?  The Lord has afflicted me; the almighty has brought misfortune upon me” Ruth 1 v 19-21 Sometimes I think about seeing old friends and I think their expectations would be disappointed.  I may think of my youth, when first saved, and think how cheery and free I was- working, capable, social.  But one thing I read about Naomi’s possible musings in an article was whether she remembered the peace with God she used to enjoy in her youth…and that added to her sorrow. I feel a great deal of stress- and not a lot of peace- I look fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lavish grace

(No, I didn't either bake or ice this cake! My daughter's birthday cake- with the image of her favorite cat!) His grace is lavish.  It is described as having been ‘lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding’ (Ephesians 1.8).  He knows what he’s doing.  Have you ever baked a cake that didn’t quite turn out as you hoped?  Cracks or craters.  Hollows.  Dryness.  Crumbling.  Over-browned.  Sunken in the middle. That is us.  We are flawed and inadequate. God applies his grace lavishly to us, as we may spread delicious buttery frosting extra-thickly over a not-so perfect cake.  The icing fills the craters and crevices and cracks, balances the dry and crumbly texture, covers over the over-cooked unsightly brown surface… Next time you are obsessing over your mistakes and weaknesses and foot-in-the-mouth moments, as I frequently do, remember Gods lavish grace, which covers over and accounts for all the things he kn...
Post a Comment
Read more

The enemy without mercy

While God has good intentions, to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future (Jer 29 v 11-13)", satan seeks to devour us alive, to consume us- to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10 v 10).  To get a picture of this we just need to look at any merciless venture in the world- such as child sex trafficking- such as 'ethnic cleansing', to understand that our enemy is without mercy.  He hates us and delights in our sufferings and losses.  The detestable things on earth give him pleasure.  There is no compassion in him for a child, the elderly, the hopeless and downtrodden person.  If he can crush you, he will just want to crush you more.  Your destruction is his delight. Too many of us have a cartoon image of the devil- poking us teasingly with a plastic Halloween prodder- or a cute character on our shoulder doing a to and fro debate with us, as a cherub sits on our other shoulder. Instead, we should look to the cold blooded kille...
Post a Comment
Read more