Shock and Awe

Ezekiel 3:22-23 – Then the LORD took hold of me, and He said to me, “Go out into the valley, and I will talk to you there.”  So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the LORD, just as I had seen it in my first vision by the Kebar River.  And I fell face down in the dust.

Back in the year 2000, I worked at 99.5 the Wolf.  Another girl and I, Mel, worked the night shift – 7-11pm.  Since we were the only friends we had that didn’t work during the day, it wasn’t unusual for us to meet for lunch or dinner before the show.  Ojeda’s was our usual spot – a popular Mexican restaurant on Maple Avenue, about a mile north of the radio station.

One particular afternoon we walked in and requested a table.  Although the restaurant was nearly empty, the hostess told us we’d have to sit in the smoking section.  Mel and I looked at each other, shrugged, and chose a booth.  About 15 minutes later, something interesting happened.

Men wearing dark suits and earpieces walked in.  They took up various positions around the room, murmuring into their headsets.  Next, a parade of official looking people marched through and sat in the non-smoking section.  With them was President Bill Clinton.

Neither Mel nor I were Clinton fans.  In fact, we’d both had plenty of choice things to say about the scandals surrounding his presidency.  But to see him up close and personal was something else.  We both wanted to meet him.  Given the chance, we would’ve shaken his hand and taken a picture.  There is something humbling about being in the presence of one with such power and authority (at least for two girls in their early to mid-20s).

Ezekiel first meets the LORD in chapter 1, verses 26-28 – And high above this throne was a figure whose appearance was like that of a man.  From the waist up, He looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire.  And from His waist down, He looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.  All around Him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining through the clouds.  This was the way the glory of the LORD appeared to me.  When I saw it, I fell face down in the dust, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me (emphasis mine).

He fell face down in the dust.  So overcome with awe and fear that he immediately fell flat, covering his eyes.   Just two short chapters and seven days later, he sees Him again.  And again, he falls face down in the dust.

In Exodus 33:18, Moses requests this of God: “Please let me see your glorious Presence,” and the LORD complies, with a condition.  “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, ‘the LORD,’ to you.  I will show kindness to anyone I choose, and I will show mercy to anyone I choose.  But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”  The LORD placed Moses in the cleft of a rock.  He covered him with His hands as He passed by, and then allowed him to see Him from behind.  And Moses is left speechless.

We don’t get to see his reaction.  Moses doesn’t give us play-by-play details.  We don’t know how long he lingered there at the rock.  We don’t get to read any additional conversation he had with the LORD in that moment.  Perhaps he didn’t have the words to describe it.  Perhaps it was so breathtaking, so intimate, so moving, that Moses simply couldn’t share it.  Scripture picks up in chapter 34, as the LORD instructs Moses to make a new copy of the Ten Commandments.

Consider that the next time you pray.  This is the same God we petition.  The same God that sent Ezekiel falling prostrate on the ground, not once, but twice in a seven day period.  The same God that caused the Apostle John, who’d walked with Jesus for three and a half years, to fall at His feet as dead (Revelation 1:17).  Do we approach Him with the same reverence?  Or do we simply hand Him our “honey-do” list and wait for Him to comply?

Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:8-13.  “Our Father in heaven, may Your name be honored.”  We offer praise and worship.  “May your Kingdom come soon.  May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.”  We trust that His will and His ways are perfect, and we ask Him to make them clear.  “Give us our food for today.”  We present our requests.  “And forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.  And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  We confess and repent.  We remember that we have an enemy, and ask for strength.

When Christ rose from the grave, the veil was torn and we were given immediate access to the throne room of the Most High God.  We do not need an intercessor.  We do not need to go to anyone other than Christ for forgiveness.  We can certainly talk to God as though He were sitting across the table from us, but let us never forget who it is we’re talking to.  Let us never forget that, if we were to see Him face to face, we too, would fall prostrate to the ground.  All glory, honor and praise to God on High!

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive us for taking our relationship with You for granted.  Forgive us for forgetting the cost paid for that relationship – the very blood of Your one and only Son.  God, please help us recapture the sense of awe and wonder many of us had as new believers.  Please help us to live in victory – over our sin, our enemies, and this world.  You are the Most High God.  Who are we, that You would look on us with such love and tenderness?  Who are we, that You would send Your Son to pay the ultimate price?  Who are we, that you have counted every hair on our heads?  Thank You for loving us so.  Help us to extend that love to others, God, especially those who don’t know Jesus.  Touch our eyes, that we might see Your people as You do.  Touch our hearts, that we might love them like You do.  Touch our hands and feet, that we would be quick to serve.  Touch our ears, that we might always hear Your voice.  We love You so much, God, and we pray these things in the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.