VERSE:
“…they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:
‘He is good; His love endures forever.’
Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God”
— 2 Chronicles 5:13-14
THOUGHT:
I’m sure they had it all figured out. “We’ll sing a couple of songs, then the priests will perform their service, and then maybe we’ll hear a word from the King”. But then, out of nowhere, when their praises went up, the glory of God came down and interrupted their service! All of the sudden the priests couldn’t perform their tasks, and all the people could do was “[kneel] to the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord” (7:3).
God interrupted their order in the midst of their praise and they were able to encounter Him in ways that most people never do.
What would that look like if it happened in today’s worship services? So many times we have it all figured out. We’ll do opening announcements, followed by some songs and an offering, and then a word from the Pastor. But WHAT IF…? What would that look like if it happened in everyday life? We plan our days, schedule meetings and pencil in events. But WHAT IF…?
What if in the midst of our praise, the glory of God came down and interrupted our order?
APPLICATION:
Order is great (the Lord is a God of order). It’s impossible to function and live life without having systems and routines and plans. However, when it comes to encountering the God of the universe, we have to be open and willing for Him to come in and interrupt our order.
Praise God, and see what happens. Don’t attempt to enter into His presence with any preconceived ideas of expected end results… just praise Him and let Him do what He wants.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I love you for who you are. I pray that in the midst of my praise to you, I would encounter you in unexpected and exciting ways. I pray that you would help me to be open to what you are doing so that I don’t miss out on anything you have for me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN!