It’s time to wake up. You’ve been called to be more. The glory has come.
Isaiah 60:1 NIV
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
In the previous blog post, I shared about the topic – Where Is The Glory? Basically, it is about being out of and not experiencing the presence of God.
A Wake-Up Call
Ever need a wake-up call? I have! And I am not just talking about it coming from the front desk in a hotel. We can all get off-track from time to time. Some of us more often than others. That’s when we need a wake-up call.
We see it in life, sports, business, relationships, and more. You are just cruising along thinking everything is fine. Or maybe even in some cases you know it is not fine. Then all of the sudden, someone rings your bell. And in this case, I am not talking about a doorbell. I am talking about a wake-up call.
When my wife Carmen and I are apart for any reason, she is my favorite person to get a wake-up call from. But how amazing is it to get a wake-up call from the creator of the Universe?
Isaiah 60:2-3
2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Do Not Let Someone Hand Your Butt To You!
If you read last week’s post, you would know that the Israelites were getting their butts handed to them by the Philistines. The Israelites had all but disregarded God during that period of time. So now they were fighting a battle on their own.
The elders sensed (you think?) they needed God’s help to win the battle. But they had the wrong motives. Ever heard that before?
James 4:3 AMP
You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask [a]with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your desires.
Instead of getting right before God and seeking Him, they turned to the Ark as a good-luck charm. Something magical to save them, as a desperate attempt to not be defeated. They only cared if it worked.
“Their idea was that God should be forced to fight for them. If He was not willing to do it for their sake, He would have to do it for His honour’s sake.”
Ellison
So the elders believed the presence of the ark would make God work for them. Boy were they wrong. Now I am not throwing stones, and I know you aren’t either. We all get into some pretty crazy situations and do some pretty stupid things out of desperation.
They Tried, But They Couldn’t Do it
Can’t blame them for trying, right? You know that someone who suggested that was thinking, “When this works, I’ll surely be recognized for my creative solution and saving the day.”
So quite literally, they were looking to the Ark to save them, not God.
What is the bottom line here without getting into the weeds, being too deep, and getting theological? Be in right-standing with your maker! Have a pure heart. Become who He created you to be by seeking after Him. Not by seeking after the Ark, codes, symbols, idols, titles, things, and more, but by being in His presence.
The Glory of God Has Come
For God’s glory, His presence, His Holy Spirit, has come!
Challenge of the Week
Tired of sleeping in, just getting by, and doing the same ole same ole? Take a wake-up call from God. It’s time to become more. Take your first step of the day with Him. Each day and everyday, throughout the day. Wake up in His glory and stay in His glory…His presence. You will be a light, a light of the world, as you reflect His light, His glory. So be it!
