Saturday, October 29, 2016

When I'm On My Knees

When I'm on my knees before the King of heaven, all of life is translated according to His glory. The roar of angry voices is hushed by reverent silence. The clamor of those who want to dominate others ceases because of the presence of His Majesty. The truth can be clearly seen. The Most High God is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He alone places over it anyone He wants and He sets over it even the lowliest of men.

When I'm on my knees I recognize that the Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. The inhabitants of earth, though puffed up with pride, are counted as nothing. The Lord of Hosts does what He wants with the army of heaven and with the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?" The King of heaven is able to humble those who walk in pride.

In His presence I hear the roar of crashing thunder, but when I'm on my knees the sound of thunder becomes the gentle voice of my heavenly father inviting me to call on Him, to come and pray to Him. With the invitation comes the promise that the Most High God will listen to me and that when I seek Him with all my heart I will not be disappointed. The King of heaven resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

On this side of eternity there is so much I cannot understand and often my eyesight is dimmed by tears. But when I humble myself and bow my knees and look at life through the lens of faith, I recognize that though the way is dark to me Light dwells with Him. When all of life is translated by His glory I can at last see He never makes a mistake.

When I was young I thought of God as though He was a secret ingredient that I could add to the recipe of my life to make it more pleasant. But now in awe I realize the truth: The same God who is sovereign over the kingdom of men is also sovereign over the details of my life. When I'm on my knees before the King of heaven I can at last see that He humbled Himself and became a man so that I could become a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

The Mystery

In a time of turmoil. I lift my eyes to the One enthroned in heaven. The curtains of heaven are pulled aside and I see Him, the Ancient of Days. He reveals the deep and hidden things; He alone knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. He is seated on a throne of flaming fire. A river of fire flows out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands serve Him; ten thousands upon ten thousands stand before Him. In a time of turmoil I lift my eyes to the King of Heaven.

Humbled by His glory, my soul at last finds rest in the presence of the One to whom I give my sole allegiance. He is the God of gods, He is the Lord of kings, He is the revealer of mysteries. The secret things belong to the Lord and yet He in His kindness has chosen to reveal His mysteries in His word.

With the eyes of my flesh I see the instability of the times in which I live. There is great disturbance, confusion and uncertainty. Nature itself seems to be reflecting the disorder I see around me. But when I listen to the thundering voice of the Most High God, I realize the truth. His kingdom is the only eternal kingdom, and He alone has dominion from generation to generation. With Him there is wisdom and power. He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings.

The nations with prideful wrath seem to raise their fist to the One who sits enthroned in heaven. In rebellion they take their stand and cry out with one voice, "We are free from Your restraints! You have no power over us!" But the King of Heaven only laughs and ridicules them. He knows the truth. The Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men. He gives it to anyone He wants and sets over it the lowliest of men.

There is more to the mystery that has been revealed. As I open His book I see the vision given to Daniel. I too see One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. I see Him approaching the Ancient of Days. He has been given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; those of every people, nation, and language will serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

I fall to my knees and add my voice of those who cry out, "Even so come now, Lord Jesus!"