READING: Ezekiel 1-4
The glory of the Lord. There’s no way to explain it. No human words can fully capture it. Every image the human mind can conjure up is insufficient. It’s beyond us. Bigger than we are. More awe-inspiring than we could ever imagine. You and I could never adequately describe it.
Nor could Ezekiel. In today’s reading, the prophet saw the glory of the Lord, but he couldn’t fully describe it, either. He attempted to do so with human images, but they will always fall short. In fact, all Ezekiel could do was fall on his face: “Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking” (Ezek 1:28). The words of the prophet (called the “son of man” 93 times in this book — a continual reminder that he was only a creature hearing from the Creator), would never suffice to describe the phenomenon he saw. Seeing the glory would, though, compel Ezekiel to follow God’s call even when it was difficult.
Ezekiel could not describe God’s glory, but he did experience it (Ezek 3:12, 3:23). May I be honest with you? I read in this text about God’s glory. In my studies, I’ve heard of God’s falling powerfully upon His people in great awakenings that shook our nation centuries ago. I’ve spoken with people around the world who’ve seen things happen that cannot be explained apart from God. I am not able to describe God’s glory, either, but I sure would like to experience a portion of it. Just a glimpse of His glory can give us passion and encouragement to press on, no matter what we face.
ACTION STEPS:
- Ask God to make Himself so evident in your life that you can only fall on your face.
- Consider this question: “If God were to come in His glory, what would He find in my life today?”
PRAYER: “God, show us Your glory.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 5-8
