August 28 - Falling Facedown

 Read today’s texts first:  Ezekiel 1-3; Revelation 2

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

When you fall facedown before God
get ready for a pick-me-up! 

The awe-inspiring revelations of God’s glory we read yesterday from David and John continue today. The writer this time is Ezekiel and when he encountered the living God his reaction was the same - he hit the dirt facedown. A pattern is emerging!

It seems whenever we have a revelation of God in heaven it is more than we can handle. When faced with a glorious, powerful, and holy God, we suddenly become aware of how small, helpless, and sinful we are. Ezekiel demonstrates that reaction twice in the first three chapters.

Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you'” (1:28-2:1).

The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown (3:22-23).

When we experience that kind of holy fear, we know longer fear anything else. Our priorities are suddenly in the right order:  And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen (2:6,7).

When that happens, this incredible awe-inspiring God always reaches down and lifts us up (2:2; 3:12,14,24). Each time Ezekiel hit the dirt, God’s Spirit literally and spiritually picked him up. He promised the same to us: humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up (James 4:10).

“Lord, sometimes I am either too fearful or too enamoured with the world and its distractions. But when I fall facedown before Your glory, my priorities are realigned. Like You did for Ezekiel and John in my readings today, give me the courage to get up and speak boldly for You!”