Category Archives: Majesty

Bible, Majesty, Reverence, Scripture, Worship

SHOWING REVERENCE

HAGGAI 1:12

“Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, just as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the LORD.”

You know, as a child the idea of showing reverence is a foreign concept. Do you bow down to someone or something? Are you a slave to them? Just what does it mean? Kids have no clue, but neither do adults, really. We think we do, but we don’t show it. Speaking in King James English does not make you reverent.

The governor, the high priest and the remnant of people finally obeyed the Lord, which led to repentance and the show of reverence. The Hebrew word for “reverence” means to fear or be afraid, to fear. In fact, one translation reads “put in fearful reverence.” After all God’s judgment, they were now ready to show Him reverence.

APPLICATION

I do not think any of us know how to truly show God the reverence that is due Him. We try but fall short. Listen to how Proverbs 1:7a uses this word. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” That’s pretty good, isn’t it? As believers, our fear of the Lord isn’t a scary thing. It is a reverent thing. We acknowledge Who He is and who we are not.

Next Sunday, when you go to church (you are going, right?), walk into your place of worship with a new attitude – an attitude of reverence. You don’t have to crawl in with your head bowed, but you should walk in knowing that you are going to be entering into a time of worship. Prepare your heart before you arrive. Confess your sins and be prepared to enter the throne room of heaven.

Reverence! Awe! We get to behold the King. We get to come before the Creator of the universe. We are called His children (read 1 John 1:12). We have the right to worship. And we worship with reverence. We worship with appreciation for all He has done for us. I think that is exactly what the people of Israel were feeling in Haggai 1:12.

We bow down. We lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.

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Accountability, Belief, Bible, Choices, Christ's Return, Darkness, Eternity, Kingdom, Kings, Majesty, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture

CHARIOTS OF SALVATION

HABAKKUK 3:8

“Did the LORD rage against the rivers, or was Your anger against the rivers, or was Your rage against the sea, that You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?”

All throughout Scripture we see imagery of God with water. In creation, He separated the waters above and the waters below. Then He caused land to appear which further separated the waters on earth. We see Him part the Red Sea and the Jordan River. We see Him gush forth waters from a rock in the wilderness. Water and God have a presence in the Bible that cannot be ignored.

So, it is no wonder that Habakkuk uses that same imagery in his book. But we see something here that is unique. We see the “chariots of salvation.” I can just picture what Habakkuk is describing. God swoops down and rescues His people as if He is riding a chariot. The waters of the Red Sea parting and the flow of Jordan walled up reflect the presence of God moving through and saving His people.

APPLICATION

God is still rescuing us. This is done now through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ didn’t ride through Israel on a chariot. No, He walked and once rode a donkey’s colt. He didn’t come as a ruling king, but rather as a lowly baby in a manger. He lived in Nazareth, the lowliest of the villages in Galilee.

But one day He will return as Judge and King. He will come to reign supremely. And we will reign with Him as joint heirs of His kingdom. Won’t that be a glorious day? But you first have to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. Even though you don’t see a chariot of salvation, you can be assured that He reigns.

As we come closer to Christmas day and prepare to celebrate, don’t forget the saving power of God is as strong today as it ever was. God is still rescuing us from a dark and somber world. He wants us to rejoice with Him that His Son paid the ultimate price. He has truly ridden that chariot of salvation for us.

Open my eyes that I may see Your salvation to the world more clearly. Use me to reach out to those who need to hear.

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Bible, Glory, Light, Majesty, Praise, Radiance, Scripture, Testimony, Witnessing

RAYS OF LIGHT

HABAKKUK 3:4

“His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, and the hiding of His might is there.”

I love to see rays of sunlight when they pierce through the clouds. The sunbeams radiate and brighten a dark day. They seem to come from nowhere, yet they contain such power. I have witnessed them bursting forth on a frosty morning, and as those beams of light hit the frost covered ground, the frost just melted away.

Habakkuk is still in his prayer describing God in all His glory. Now he turns to His light which seems to burst forth from His hands. Don’t miss that. God’s hands are the symbol of His power and might. When God lifts His hands, things happen. There is power in those hands. His brightness burst forth from them.

APPLICATION

John 1:9 tell us, “This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.” That light Habakkuk describes in his prayer was the same light that existed in Christ. He is the light of the world. John tells us He came to enlighten every person. That includes you and me.

So, if His light exists in us through the Holy Spirit, shouldn’t we let it shine? Shouldn’t we take off the covering that is hiding His light. Perhaps by doing so we may lead someone else to that indescribable light that exists only in Jesus. Those who are lost in darkness can find that light.

Most of us know that children’s song, This Little Light of Mine. The second verse is my favorite.

     Hide it under a bushel, no! I’m gonna let it shine!

     Hide it under a bushel, no! I’m gonna let it shine!

     Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Will you let your light shine today. Let the radiance of the King of kings shine through you.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!

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Beauty, Bible, Glory, Goodness, Honor, Majesty, Scripture, Splendor

HIS SPLENDOR

HABAKKUK 3:3

“God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.”

Splendor! What does that word mean? We don’t use it a lot today. At least, I don’t, but I can think of a few scenes that could be described that way. The splendor of a sunset or sunrise. The splendor of a beautiful garden. The splendor of majestic mountain peaks. Just think of something you could describe that way.

The word used by Habakkuk is hod, which can mean beauty, comeliness, glorious, glory, goodly, honor, majesty. Don’t forget he is describing God here. He says this splendor covers the heavens. In other words, it covers all we see. It’s always there. We just don’t see it sometimes because we are not looking for it. God’s splendor doesn’t hide from us.

APPLICATION

As believers in Christ, God’s splendor is manifested in and through us by the Holy Spirit. The lost world should be able to see God’s splendor in us. Why don’t they? Why don’t we let it burst forth like the heavens? Why don’t we allow God’s splendor to pierce the darkness that surrounds us?

I want to encourage you today to shine, to be splendorous! That may be a new word, lol. But I like the sound of it. Be splendorous. Reflect the beauty, comeliness, gloriousness, goodliness, honor and majesty of God. Let others ask you what is wrong with you. They may be amazed at what is coming out of you.

Our choir is singing our second Christmas program today. It is our prayer that His splendor pours forth from us. We want those watching and listening to experience His splendor this Christmas season. If we are the only Christmas program they get to attend, we want them to leave encouraged in their walk with Christ. Join us today and let the splendor of Christ shine forth.

The splendor of the king, robed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice!

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Bible, Glory, Majesty, Praise, Scripture, Testimony

ALL CREATION GROANS

HABAKKUK 2:11

“‘For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the rafter will answer it from the framework.’”

Just the other day, my little sister (whom I affectionally call Nappyhead) and I were talking about her recent drive up to TN from South Georgia. She said, “How can anyone see the beauty of the mountains and rivers and not believe in God?” I agree. Truly, all creation does cry out to Him.

In this last verse before the second woe, God is saying that very thing. All creation cries out to Him. Even the stones and rafters of the buildings cry out to God. Just like the stones and beams are “imprisoned” in the buildings, the prisoners of Chaldea have cried out to God.

APPLICATION

Luke 19:40 says, “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!’” We see the same thing being exclaimed by the Psalmist in Psalm 19:1. “The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands.”

As believers, we should not be outdone by creation. We should exclaim loudly how great a God He is and tell all about the great things He has done for us. Proclaim His majesty. Extol His greatness. He is worthy of all our praise. Don’t hold back. Don’t let that rock beat you, lol.

As we enter this Advent season, find a reason each day to proclaim His glory. Tell someone each day about how He has saved you and that He can do the same for them. Join me today in doing that. There is no greater joy than to lead someone to the saving knowledge of Christ.

I will glorify the King of kings. I will glorify the Lamb. I will glorify the Lord of lords, who is the great I AM.

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Accountability, Accused, Bible, Destruction, Judgment, Majesty, Power, Scripture

THE EARTH SPLITS

NAHUM 1:5

“Mountains quake because of Him, and the hills come apart; indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, the world and all the inhabitants in it.”

I have never experienced an earthquake. Where I live, they are not common. I have friends who live on the west coast of America, and they have experienced them. They describe their houses shaking and moving. Some have shared pictures of breaks in the ground. They have not seen mountains quake, but they believe they could.

As Nahum uses this imagery to describe the mighty hand of God, this exhibition of raw power is just the fingertip of God. In fact, since God spoke all of the earth into creation, He could just as easily speak it into extinction. The Ninevites have stirred the wrath of God, and even their physical environment will suffer.

APPLICATION

Just how powerful do you think God is? Well, that’s a stupid question, Carl. I know God is all-powerful. We say that and may even believe it. So, why are we so surprised when He does those things that only He could do, things for which there is no other explanation?

I have said it before – our western minds try to eliminate the supernatural in favor of the natural. We like to try to explain it. We want to put everything into nice, neat, little boxes. Sometimes, however, God just shows up and acts in such a way that only his majestic power can explain.

May I encourage you to not too hastily disregard these acts of wonder. Let them sink in a minute. Perhaps you are witnessing a God act. Maybe He has privileged you to be a part of it. Just don’t throw out the supernatural explanation before you have prayed about it. I am hoping to see more and more of these events in my lifetime as God chooses to show us these end-times we are in.

Open my eyes that I may see, Lord. Let me see the works of Your hands everywhere.

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Bible, Majesty, Orphans, Restoration, Scripture, Splendor, Widows

SPLENDOR

MICAH 2:9

“‘You evict the women of My people, each one from her pleasant house. From her children you take My splendor forever.

I do not know about you, but I seldom think about anything that I would use the word “splendor” to describe. I guess I should do that more often. If I do, I could describe a beautiful sunset as having splendor. I could say our worship service displayed splendor. But the main way I would use “splendor” would be to describe my Lord.

Here in today’s verse, Micah uses the word to describe what these thieves, which we have been talking about in the past verses, have taken from the children of these widows. We know they are widows because they own their homes (women did not own property back then unless their husbands were dead, or their father had purposely willed it to them). These thieves were ruthless in their greed, neglecting even the neediest.

APPLICATION

James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” For us to show God’s splendor, we need to care for the widows and orphans. God has told us this is precious in His sight. He longs to see them loved on and attended to.

I love how Isaiah uses this Hebrew word, hadar. He says, “the splendor of His majesty.” Think about that for a minute. We can help maintain the splendor of His majesty in the lives of widows and orphans by caring for them. There are so many out there who need us. We just have to open our eyes to their needs.

I have shared before that I worked over thirty years in the child welfare ministry. Some of those children were true orphans, having lost both parents. Others had only one parent, usually a birth mother. It was my privilege to work alongside some incredible people caring for these children. It is my prayer that we restored the splendor of His majesty in their lives. Who can you help restore that to? Just look around and ask God to reveal them to you.

The splendor of our King, clothed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice.

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