Have you ever had one of those “creepy-house-in-the-middle-of-the-night” dreams?
When I was a teenager I dreamed I was walking through our empty house in the obscurity of the night. I felt something spooky in the air.
I opened the door and “boom” there was a searing light that I somehow knew was a wolf. Don’t ask me to explain it. It was a dream, okay?
My heart nearly exploded—in my dream and in my sleeping body. Wow! That was scary.
Old John had a similar, terrifying experience.
He was praying one day and suddenly,
“It was Sunday and I was in the Spirit, praying. I heard a loud voice behind me, trumpet-clear and piercing: “Write what you see into a book. Send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.” I turned and saw the voice.
I saw a gold menorah
with seven branches,
And in the center, the Son of Man,
in a robe and gold breastplate,
hair a blizzard of white,
Eyes pouring fire-blaze,
both feet furnace-fired bronze,
His voice a cataract,
right hand holding the Seven Stars,
His mouth a sharp-biting sword,
his face a perigee sun.” (Rev. 1, The Message)
et au milieu des [sept] chandeliers quelqu’un qui ressemblait à un fils d’homme. Il était habillé d’une longue robe et portait une écharpe en or sur la poitrine. Sa tête et ses cheveux étaient blancs comme de la laine blanche, comme de la neige. Ses yeux étaient comme une flamme de feu, ses pieds étaient semblables à du bronze ardent, comme s’ils avaient été embrasés dans une fournaise, et sa voix ressemblait au bruit de grandes eaux. Il tenait dans sa main droite sept étoiles, de sa bouche sortait une épée aiguë à deux tranchants et son visage était comme le soleil lorsqu’il brille dans toute sa force.)”
And John did what any self-respecting man would have done: he fainted dead away.
That doesn’t surprise me. A revelation of Jesus in his power and glory is going to send everything in the universe to its knees (Philippians 2:10)
He Touched Him
No, what surprises me is what He did next. This powerful, glorious, Son of God, “… placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (NIV)
That’s the part that blows me away. In my dream, the light-creature wolf didn’t gently lay his paw on me to comfort me. He wouldn’t have done CPR if I had fallen with a heart attack.
But, here, the Son of the Living God in His glory reaches out and touches a weak man, raises him up and uses him to deliver a message which has been read by billions since.
And that touches you and me my friend. God sees you in your doubt, your pain, your questions, your insecurity, your tears, your heartache, your lack of confidence in yourself.
He sees you where you are.
It’s all right to faint because of feebleness or fear. Just be sure you do it at His feet.
Run to Jesus in your hurt. Fall down before Him in your weakness and say, “Lord! You’re so high and holy. I’m so weak and incapable. But, still, I run to you!”
You might be surprised to feel the hand of someone who loves you on your back and hear a voice that you expected to thunder, say to you with more love than you ever thought possible,
“Don’t be afraid. Get up. I’ve still got a job for you.”
It’s all right to faint in fear. Just be sure that you do it in front of Jesus.
_____________________________
Hmmm …
“The man or woman who cannot afford to show weakness, who has a need to be right, or always has to have things under personal control will likely have few if any intimates …
“Alone I have seen many wonderful things, none of which are true.” (African proverb) Gordon McDonald
Flickr, Creative commons Jason Mrachina, Lift-Off; Classic Film 1970 Illustrated Ad, Vick’s NyQuil, “Your Husband’s Cold”