Called Into God’s Presence
As Christians, we have been called into God’s presence! Steph Nickel encourages us to sing His praises, share His word, pray together, and to gaze upon His glory.
Missionary Passage
Matthew 17:1-4 says,
“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’”
Matthew 17:1-4
This isn’t a typical missionary passage. It isn’t one we hear when Christians are sent out to share the gospel. But that’s exactly what it is when you think about it.
Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John with him up the mountain. Amazingly, Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with the Lord. I can’t even begin to imagine how Jesus’ disciples felt and what they must have been thinking. Here before them were two long-dead heroes of the faith. Stop and consider that for a moment or two.
It’s no wonder Peter offered to erect three tents. Not six . . . three. It wasn’t a selfish request. The tents were for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. It all made sense from Peter’s perspective, but that wasn’t what the Lord had in mind. Moses and Elijah returned to heaven. And Jesus took His followers to rejoin the others.
God Calls Us To Himself
What can we learn from this passage? What can we teach our children?
God calls us to Himself. As Christians, we are invited into His very presence. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The Holy of Holies was now accessible. What a beautiful picture! If we acknowledge that the Lord paid for our sin and declare that He was raised from the dead, we are given ready access to the throne room of heaven. Think about that.
Peter, James, and John witnessed the appearance of not only Moses and Elijah but also something else that filled them with awe. Verse 2 says,
“And he [Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.”
Matthew 17:2
Jesus reflected a little of His true glory and these men got to witness it.
Being Still In God’s Presence
Those of us with ready access to the Bible, those of us who can freely meet to worship the Lord, too often become complacent—myself included. The stories are so familiar they often don’t fill us with wonder. Or perhaps we’re just so busy rushing from one task to the next that we fail to heed God’s words in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Are we willing to be still with our children? To discuss the amazing stories we read in God’s Word? To share what God has been doing in our lives? To sing praise songs together? To pray together? Are we willing to take the time to gaze on His glory?
Although he came to the wrong conclusion, we can still learn from Peter. Are we willing to remain in the Lord’s presence? Do we take the time to study the Scriptures daily? Alone? With our spouse? With our family? Do we pray throughout the day, while we’re on the go and during special times set aside exclusively for this purpose?
In Awe Of God’s Presence
Were you ever so aware of God’s presence that you didn’t want to move? Talk? Breathe? I’m not talking about living a feelings-based life, but He really is an awesome God who fills us with wonder if we take time to step aside from the busyness and distractions of our lives. Have our children ever witnessed us in awe of God?
Why not sit down with your family and discuss one of the amazing stories in the Bible (perhaps this one from Matthew 17), the greatness of God, and the evidence that He was at work in Bible times? Go on from there to discuss the evidences that He is still at work in the world—and in our lives.
Take the time to wonder, to praise, to worship—but don’t stop there. Peter wanted to, but that wasn’t God’s plan. He and his fellow disciples were not called to dwell in the place of wonder. They were called to go. There was still more for the Lord Jesus to accomplish and more for them to accomplish.
Called Into God’s Presence
As long as the Lord gives us breath, we have more to do as well. We are called to be salt and light in this world as it says in Matthew 5:13-16. Will we go into a hurting world and bring God’s healing? Will we go into a dark world and bring His light? Will we go into a fearful world and bring the Lord’s security? Will we go into a despairing world and bring His peace? Will we go into a weeping world and bring His Joy?
How has God called you? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us at HopeStreamRadio
Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
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