READING: Ezekiel 44:1-46:24
How do you respond when you are in the presence of God? How do I respond?
Sometimes I respond as I think I’m supposed to respond—that is, find some way to worship and praise Him. And, that response is a good one. What I fear is that sometimes I don’t respond with the same kind of awe, homage, humility, fear, and submission that Ezekiel did each time he fell on his face before the Lord. He did that whenever he saw the glory of the Lord (Eze 1:28, 43:3, 44:4).
Falling before the Lord in fear and worship—just think about that act for a moment.
I doubt we think much about that kind of worship, but that’s the right response when honoring the Lord. Abraham fell before Him. Moses and Aaron did that, too, as did Joshua. King David did, too. The magi did that before the baby Jesus, as did the apostle John on the isle of Patmos. You and I will join the multitudes in eternity taking the same position.
To be fair, these experiences the Bible describes were often uniquely powerful ones that you and I have not experienced; on the other hand, a heart of submission should reflect each of us who follows Christ. The commentary writer Matthew Henry put it this way: “The more we see of the glory of God the more low we shall lie in our own eyes.”* I suspect I am not off base to say that the North American church would be stronger if church leaders—beginning with me—would spend more time lying on our faces before God.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Do you need to fall down before the Lord today?
DAILY PRAYER: “God, I’m asking You to drive me to my face before You so I might worship You well.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 47:1-48:35, Ezekiel 29:17-30:19, 2 Kings 25:27-30, Jeremiah 52:31-34
* Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume(p. 1420). Hendrickson.