The Vineyard
Dear Friends:
Ezekiel 43: 1-5 “Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory…..The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.”
Some moments these visions of the glory of God remind me of where I came from (the mind of God) and my destiny (the eternal house of God). I yearn for this more and more, and I am more aware of how real His glory is as I humbly admit how unlike God and His glory the world is and how far (how very far) I am from being a man He redeemed me to be. Pitiful man that I am! Like Paul I want one thing but live contradiction to it.
Two things pull me away from Him: (1)The disappointment of how very often I fail Him during the day; and (2) my concerns (“concerns” being a euphemism for “worry”) of work, family, business, church and even ministry that shift my focus from a steadfast trust and fixation on HIM. And on these days when I am so far from where I want to be, and I read about the reality of His presence and majesty—-that is, the eternal glory of God!!——I find myself thirsty for it. I wait on baited breath for the sound of those rushing waters——that time (soon perhaps?) when all we be set right! The coming of the God of Israel who will wipe every tear away from my face and will erase every disappointment I have ever experienced or caused!!!
What does this “imagination” of the glory of God do for me? It removes from my mind and heart any thought save Him and His indescribable beauty, grandeur, greatness and majesty! Truly, no man has seen, heard, tasted or imagined such an awesome presence! But the idea—-or the pre-natal memory of it—is imbedded in our souls. We know that there is something greater for which we made! We are remembering that for which we were created! We are panting for the more awesome glory which our eyes were meant to behold. No matter what we experience with our senses on this earth, there we will always—always- have a yearning within us either to find that place of peace and rest.
In truth, we will never be satisfied—never!-until we behold His glory. We get a glimpse of it as we read Ezekiel and Daniel and of the transfiguration of Jesus, and we feel, as in movie preview, of the His awesomeness as we lose sight of ourselves as we sing praises to God! That’s why our souls are so drawn to must and praise! It’s about as close as we can get to that sensation of GLORY!
But it’s all still through a glass darkly. Something better is coming. As C.S. Lewis said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
Amen.
Warmly,
Dean Barley
The Vineyard
Dean@VineyardCamp.com
336 351 2070
919 360 8493 (Mobile)
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