Pause
Scripture: Psalm 46:10
“Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted on the earth.”
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted on the earth.”
Begin by settling your body. Let your shoulders drop. Breathe deeply a couple of times.
Acknowledge God’s presence with You: Lord, you are here...
Hear Him saying, “I will be exalted.”
Let this quiet your heart as you set aside the cares of this day to focus on Him.
Write a simple prayer, telling Him your longings for this journey.
Ponder
Scripture: Revelation 1:12–17 (selected)
“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me...
His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow,
and His eyes were like a flame of fire...
and His voice was like the sound of many waters...
His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.”
His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow,
and His eyes were like a flame of fire...
and His voice was like the sound of many waters...
His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.”
Shut away on a tiny island in the Aegean Sea, John, the aging leader of the early Church, pondered his banishment from friends, family, and the life he’d once known.
He’d woken before sunrise, sensing an unusual stirring within. Gathering quills and parchment, he set out, wondering if God would grant him some fresh words for the fledgling churches whose wellbeing battered his heart.
John plodded along, feeling the ache of loneliness.
The sun burned down.
The sea sprayed his face.
It was his only respite.
At last, he reached the refuge of a cliff where he often knelt to pray. With charcoal from the night’s fire, he marked yet another day on the rocky overhang.
Upon reaching his open-air sanctuary, the elder statesman of the faith began to offer songs of praise.
Memories of walking with his Master along the shores of Galilee flooded his mind. Tears flowed. If only he could hear that gentle voice once again, lay his head against his Beloved’s chest.
Suddenly a sound shattered the silence, shaking the ground beneath John’s feet. Trumpet-like bellows pierced the air. John froze.
Then a booming voice spoke, commanding him to write down what was about to happen.
John turned toward the sound and felt enveloped by an immense light. Then... an astonishing image appeared, beckoning him to draw near.
Trembling and terrified, John tried to look up at the face of the figure before him. Nothing could have prepared him. In an instant, John fell, face to the ground.
Pray
What John saw that day was the glorified Christ — and he was undone...
Until Jesus knelt to tenderly calm his fear.
This vision shows us a rare glimpse into a side of Jesus we may seldom ponder. How familiar are you with this exalted Christ?
Write down your thoughts in a journal.
Quiet your heart before Him now.
See the exalted Christ — majestic in splendor:
His eyes like fire,
His mouth like a sword,
His face shining like the sun...
Hear His voice thundering like the sound of many waters, yet tenderly assuring you of the truth that transforms everything:
“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
Wait before Him and worship.
Practice
This is the ultimate reality, that though Jesus came to earth to live and die as a human being, He is and has always been the everlasting God. He who once walked among us now fills all things with His triumphant beauty.
Let the wonder settle in your soul throughout the day.
See His majesty in the sunset.
Feel His eternal power in each breath He gives you.
Embrace the mystery in the millions of stars that fill the night sky.
How might this alter the ordinariness of your life?