And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions,) and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever, the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. 2 Chron. 5:11-14
OK. Stop what you are doing right now and get that picture firmly in your mind. These verses are describing the dedication of the temple of the Lord built by Solomon. The first permanent place that God had to reside among his people (before it was in a portable tent.) There were over 38,000 Levitical priests. I am not sure how many were present for this event, but I can bet it wasn't a small showing.
What an event this must have been.
What an event this must have been.
Singing, playing on instruments with the lyrics that still ring true today "He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever." Repeated by thousands upon thousands of people in worship to the Lord.
What happened next, no one was expecting (I would imagine.)
The glory of the almighty God came down in the form of a cloud or thick smoke and filled the temple. His presence was so thick that the people fell down in worship and the priests could no longer preform their duties.
What a worship gathering that must have been. I imagine it was just a small taste of what worship in eternity will be.
Thinking of that experience makes me long to have that each and every time we gather together to worship our Savior, whose steadfast love endues forever. I imagine if a group of people came together with hearts overflowing with that realization of Christ, God's presence would be so thick in the room that we may be able to do nothing but just "be."
I have experienced it a few times in my life in a group setting and in my private worship. The common denominator in all of those situations is hearts aligned in worship to the one true living God.
Have you ever had an experience like this? Share it in comments if you want to. I would love to hear about your God encounters.
I don't know about you, but once I tasted His presence, thick and palpable in the room, I long to get back to that place as fast and as often as I can. So, my encouragement to you would be to come to your next time with God (whether private or in a group) ready and expecting His to fill that place with His glory.
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2 comments:
we had a moment like that at VBS last year in the evening...a room FILLED with hundreds of children all singing "You Are Good" and "My Savior Lives" in complete abandon...enthusiastically...loudly ...full on in their hearts and with their bodies. God's presence was there and the mood was electric. It was overwhelming.
Do you think this might be the basis for smoke machines in the worship setting?
How precious those moments that coalesce into all-in, soul-expanding worship. It's a little like a spiritual kaleidoscope if one can only shake free of the mundane to be abandoned fully to the coruscation.
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