Praise the Lord.
My father, who dwells in heaven, holy is your name.
To us mere mortals, heaven is a fearfully awesome place. It is a sparkling crystal vault of praise. It is filled with the peaceful sounds of rushing water and as well as the powerful rumblings of a mighty army. It is filled with beauty and splendor, and power and authority. It has brilliant lapis blues and gold woven together in the temple walls. It is a place of awe and wonder.
When Ezekiel noticed God, he fell on his face (Ez. 1:28). When Isaiah had a vision of the Lord, he cried out, “Woe to me! I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!” (Is 6:5). When John turns and sees the resurrected Jesus Christ, the one whom he loved, dressed in a rob touching his feet, with a golden sash around his chest, hair white like snow, eyes like blazing fire, feet like glowing bronze, and a voice like that of rushing water, holding seven stars, and his face shining like the son in all of its brilliance, John falls at his feet as though dead (Revelation 1).
When Joshua with his sword in his hand encounters the commander of the Lord’s army, he falls face down on the ground in reverence and asks, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Josh 5:14). When Gideon realizes he is speaking to an angel of the Lord, he exclaims out of great fear, “Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” This the angel says to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” When Moses encounters God, he hides his face because he was afraid to die (Ex 6:6). Later when God reveals his glory to Moses, the Lord covers Moses’s face so that Moses will not die (Ex 33:20). When Zachariah encountered the Lord in the temple he was “startled and gripped with fear” (Lk 1:12). The Apostle Paul was “caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things”, but he was not allowed to tell anyone about what he had seen or heard.
Lord, God, as I dwell on the encounters that men of old had with either you personally, or with your angelic servants, I give you praise. Lord, reveal your glory to some saints here on earth. Help us see you for who you truly are. Help us start our prayers “Our Father who is in heaven, holy is your name.” May we fall on our face with reverence, fear and awe. May we never go where you don’t lead us. May we always obedient go where you do lead us.
Thank you Lord for today.