Jesus called Peter a “rock” long before Peter was stable & mature. He leads us by calling out what He sees not by calling out our failures.
~ James Goll
Behold, a day is coming for the LORD, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him. On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be One and His name One.
~ from Zechariah 14
Oh beloved, it is true. We are soldiers in The Army of The L_RD. And the truth is even bigger than it seems. We are going to be with Him on the Day of His great victory over the forces of evil in this world.
Actually, it seems crazy.
He has at His disposal, angelic beings who could, at His command, crush mountains or nations or stars or systems of stars. There are some who have even been made fit to stand in the very presence of G_d. They can actually withstand the assault of His goodness upon their frame.
Note that Moses had to be hidden in the cleft of some very stout rock, and The L_RD did cover Moses with His hand as He made all His goodness pass by. And even covered and encased, Moses face shone so brightly that He had to put a veil on to keep others from being freaked out by the glow.
This fool of a writer had brief moment in worship one night wherein i (while on my face before Him) saw a reflection off a jewel on His robe. And this sight, along with Him passing His hand through my heart (that it might be healed), has left me permanently changed. i am now His, and i want nothing else… Just a glimmer, and a single touch and i was done and undone all at once.
How in the eternal economy of G_d could we make a difference? Why doesn’t He bring His ultra-beings along at the end of the age? A few of them could just clean up and put the earth right in a few minutes. In fact, He could just do it all Himself. He is the strength in the whole matter of the Day of The L_RD anyway…
What is it? Why?
Actually the answer is profoundly simple (most simple answers are profound). He sees us as we will be one Day. He is not looking at the goofballs we are now. He sees us for who we really already are in eternity. He sees us as:
His spotless bride
His closest brother or sister
His most-trusted companion
His holy one
His co-heir
His dearest friend.
So yeah, in this life we are but the clumsy children of an exceedingly Loving Father. Any of our attempts to help Him in His efforts to bring about good in the Great Commission are only effective insomuch as we give the “macaroni stuck on paper – and sprayed with gold paint” stuff to Him, for Him to make good. We are but dust, and we operate best when we simply pour our tiny pebbles into His Hands for Him to use.
Can we see it? Even so, even in this life, something begins to happen. We begin to grow up and realize that we are in training for a Very Good Day which will never (read not ever) end. Read the passage beloved. Did you see it? We are to make our entrance into the physical manifestation of the eternal Kingdom WITH HIM. We will be right alongside Him.
And this writer doubts we will be but dressing for the clouds. No. In Him, by Him, through Him and for Him, we too will be part of the army which will finally and really institute the laws which will last forever: Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the power of His Loving Spirit.
Beloved, it is time to put aside our sense that the Day of The L_RD is only about Jesus. Surely HE is the center attraction. Surely HE alone is KING of kings and LORD of lords. But just as surely as Jesus is the One and only Author and Finisher of our faith, there is coming a time where faith with be completely unnecessary.
We will be with Him, and He will be with us – and there will be no more failing or clumsiness to our existence. There will be only the experience, in an ever-expanding eternal moment, of victory and perfection in His Presence.
So, do you feel like a failure in your attempts to do great things for G_d? This is probably a good thing. You do not need to make the world ready for Him to come. No beloved, you (and i) need to be letting Him make us ready to come back with Him to take our rightful place in the Kingdom He is establishing even now.
Tonight is your night. Time to believe in your place in His Kingdom.
