THE GLORY OF THE LORD

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 3-5

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

A beautiful mosaic in Jerusalem inside the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. This church was built over Caiaphas’ house where Jesus was put in a dungeon for the night after His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. The translation of the words on the left is, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.” John Paul II, in his visit to Quebec City, referred to this Bible verse in this way, “Pierre est un petit pierre, mais Jesus est le grand Pierre” (Peter is a little stone, but Jesus is the great Rock).

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: 2 Chronicles 5:14

…the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

There is no doubt that the blessing of the Lord was on the project of building the Temple. The glory of His presence was so intense that the priests could not stand up in their places. The authorized King James translation of 1 Chronicles 5:13-14 says, “The house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.” The inference is that the priests could not proceed to their assigned places of service in the liturgy of worship. God, Himself, showed up and took charge. We may ask ourselves the question, “What would happen in our churches if this same manifestation of God’s presence occurred?”

We can expect God to demonstrate His approval upon those things we’ve been called by Him to do. The heart of the promises of God, and the history of their fulfillment in the Church that Jesus said He would build, is that signs and wonders happened regularly. In the French language on the mosaic pictured above, Jesus is saying, “I will build My Church.” When we are His hands and feet, His body functioning as He intends, we will experience, “the glory of the Lord.” Let us take time right now to extend our hands to Heaven and worship. Let us gather in our churches at every opportunity for corporate worship.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord God, in the next chapter (chapter six), eight times Solomon asks You to “hear from Heaven.” I am totally confident that You hear me now as I pray for Your Presence to be over me, under me, and around me. As King David wrote, “In Your Presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Amen!!! (Psalm 16:11…Click here for all eleven verses of King David’s hymn of worship).

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’m overwhelmed by God’s Presence just now. My language is not capable of expressing my heart to God. At the beginning of the Church, God gave His 120 people, who had waited in His presence in an upper room for 10 days, a mighty manifestation of His Presence. There was the sound of a strong wind. Tongues of fire appeared upon their heads. They began to speak to God and of God in languages they had never learned. They spilled down onto the streets of Jerusalem with such enthusiasm that Peter had to explain that they were not actually drunk. As a result of all this and Peter’s message in the known language, some 3,000 people that day came to believe in Jesus and were baptized (Acts 2:40-41).

In my blog two days ago, I shared with readers the story of the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The newspaper article connected him to Holy Trinity Brompton church in London (click here for a repeat of that article). It was at that church that, as I leaned against an ancient pillar so that I would not fall backwards, I experienced the glory of the Lord in a more powerful way than ever in my life. I simply could not stand, and in fact fell on my face and was unable to move for some time. I describe this in more detail in my latest book, This Far By faith, pages 33 and 34.

Yours to believe with you for God to manifest His glory to us and through us!!!

David

Reverend Rick Hiebert portrayed the High Priest during the summer of 2012 at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario, at the life-sized replica of The Tabernacle of Moses.