Imagine the Brightness of the LORD’S Glory - 23 October 2008

Modern films leave nothing to the imagination. Watching a film is exciting, especially when the computer graphics and special effects are done well.   Ezekiel had a vision that any Hollywood director would be proud of. 

... I then saw what looked like a throne made of sapphire, and sitting on the throne was a figure in the shape of a human. From the waist up, it was glowing like metal in a hot furnace, and from the waist down it looked like the flames of a fire. The figure was surrounded by a bright light, as colourful as a rainbow that appears after a storm. I realized I was seeing the brightness of the LORD's glory! So I bowed with my face to the ground, and just then I heard a voice speaking to me.

Ezekiel 1:26-28 [CEV]

If you have time read the whole of the chapter  Ezekiel 1.

This passage certainly appeals to the imagination.  God has given us a wonderful gift of imagination which enables us to share in Ezekiel’s experience. The NIV Boys Bible suggests drawing it on a sticky note, building it with Lego or writing a story based on it.

How much do you use your imagination in prayer or is that sort of thing for children?

“Children can teach us a lot about imagination.  As with meditation the imagination is a valuable tool in the work of  prayer.  We may be reticent to pray with the imagination, feeling that it is slightly  beneath us.  Children have no such reticence....

Imagination opens the door to faith.  If we “see” in our mind’s eye a shattered marriage whole or a sick person well, it is only a short step to believing it will be so.” Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.

I started the week by sharing a longing for greater depth in my prayer life.  Understanding that real prayer is something we learn has set me free to question, experiment and struggle. However, prayer also requires us to be like children, they do not find it difficult to communicate with their father, use their imaginations or believe!

Read the passage again and having entered God’s presence through Ezekiel’s vision continue to use your imagination to intercede for those on your heart today.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever.  Amen.