It is so evident: Our modern day enemies are poised at every corner of our lives wanting to devour us, via either an internal assault on our hearts pushed by the flesh revealing media, or by the threat real and eminent danger of terroristic personal physical harm - "destroy the infidel".
The Jews at all levels in Jesus' day had felt somewhat the same pressure, and were reminded of a need for a "deliverer" every day. The Deliverer had arrived and was right there in their midst, unrecognized but for His miracles. For there were those who had mastered the art of profiteering on the fear and pain of those of simple child-like faith and veiling the truth being revealed. Remember: All through the ages God has been in the business of reaping havoc on those who sold or hid the way of salvation, but more intensely at this "fulness of time" intersection in the His-Story --- Now the arm of the Lord and the Glory of God would be revealed.
Show us, show us Your Glory
Show us, show us Your Power
Show us, show us your Glory Lord!
Open up the heavens
We want to see you
Open up the floodgates
A mighty river
Flowing from Your heart
Filling every part of our praise.
The crowds of the common man seekers would gather to watch in wonder …once withered dried hands now supple and moving in praise on the Sabbath; lame legs with strength to leap in a dance of gratitude; Hollow Empty eye sockets now filled with seeing the wonders that were only heard; deaf ears opened and in tune to the voice of the Master: that once had been longing to know the reason for the smiles attached to the vibrations felt; fevers fleeing from the strengthening frames once racked in their grips; demons screaming for fear of the dark flaming Eternity attached to their future fate; prisoners of every manifested addiction were set at liberty; and those who sat in the darkness but longed for the light were now Seeing the Hope of Heaven... But there were those who loved the darkness because their deeds were evil, and their hatred of the light was now converted to unbridled insanity.
The halt, the maimed, the lame and the blind were prime candidates, perfect targets for Love because there was no where to turn but Up; but those who were so close to the Word in their lips but so far in their hearts, were prime candidates and perfect targets for the god of this world's heart blindness … Especially those who would not believe. "Crucify Him!" Became their mantra as blindness kept them unaware of what would fully reveal the true Power, Glory and Majesty of God... Inadvertently and unknowingly they were pulling back the curtain of revelation because of their rebellion against Love.
Seeing His works - Mark 3:6 - "And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him."
Seeing His Works - Matthew 12:14 - "And Pharisees went out, and held a counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him."
Hearing His words - Mark 11:18 - "And the scribes and the chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him; for the feared him, for all the people were astonished at His doctrine."
Their blind choice - Luke 23:23 - "And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified. And the voices of them and the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required."
Show us, show us Your power...Show us, show us your Glory.....And the singing died off because His Power and His Glory in His death on the Cross was not what we expected. But unknown to Hell's rebellion, it was exactly what God required and what lost mankind needed.
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Hebrews 2:14,15
"Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the LORD of Glory." I Corinthians 2:8
We need to stop our crazy times of praise and worship that expects "Who knows what" to come down from Heaven just to make us feel exhilarated and utopian … And stop: be still, and cease our selfish squandering of the gift of life...And truly See the Power and the Glory -- the Salvation of our God!
Focus the imagination of our hearts on the horrendously bruised, bleeding, and battered body of our Savior that was brutally spiked to rough Roman cross created for unrelenting discomfort and torture. (It should have been ours - but our sacrifice would have been a waste in the sea of eternal need, for there is no other shedding of blood, no other propitiation, no other satisfying sacrifice... but His.) See Him in His anguish for us. Let His Words from the Cross grab our souls and ring out within us until there is nothing we want more than to be totally identified with Him.
"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, it is the power of God!" "And we beheld His Glory - the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth!" "I am crucified with Christ!"
What more Glory and Power and Majesty do we expect than Jesus' Death and Burial for our Sin and His Resurrection? And if the Father did not hold back the giving of His Son, How much more will he give us all things that pertain the life and eternity?
Let us Passionately desire to know and follow Jesus Christ: Crucified, Buried ,Risen, and Coming Again!
He has shown us His Power, His Glory - His Salvation -- wake up, rise up and live uprightly in Him! The Windows of Heaven are open, the floodgates are open and flowing from His Heart to fill every part of our life of Praise because of His Cross.
Go for it (don't just sing it)!
HLFA,
Jeff