“And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:11-14 ESV)
There’s some talk these days about whether certain supernatural manifestations are of God, or not. I wonder if anyone present when the Temple was dedicated wondered the same thing?
They witnessed something no one in their generation had ever seen. The priests had probably studied the manifestations of old in their Pneumatology 101 class. They may have heard stories from some of the old timers; those passed down from generation to generation.
But to witness, first hand, up close and personal, supernatural manifestations is something entirely different.
One thing for sure; questions don’t bother God. The fact that we either understand or don’t isn’t a real issue with God. At least every now and then.
When he’s pleased, he lets it be known. When he’s torqued, well, he’s not afraid to show it. Of course we should all be thankful he tempers his manifestations, just giving us a glimpse, or a little dab, of his glory. We can’t take too much. We just can’t handle it.
The spirit world, where supernatural occurrences are natural, is a world that’s beyond comprehension. Sure, we can understand some things, as the Holy Spirit instructs us through the Word of God; but there will be some manifestations that are beyond explanation and, thus, comprehension.
Every so often the spirit realm cannot contain the move of God. I mean, when God is worshipped and exalted simply because he is good and his mercy endures forever, he really gets excited! And when that occurs, guess what? We just may have questions.
But let’s not doubt God. Let’s not wait until we understand something before we believe and give God glory.
In John 5, the man waited by the pool; waiting for the water to be stirred. Could he understand it? No. But he waited all the same.
Until the one who made the water stopped by. And when Jesus stopped by, I can almost hear him tell the man, “You want to be well? Then look to me, and not the manifestations. You’ll never have to wonder about me; for I’m the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
But no matter what takes place, let’s “…not quench the Spirit…(and) not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 ESV)
Test everything? “When he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” So let him. If it’s God, he’ll let you know. If not, well, he’s not bashful or afraid to speak the truth. Let’s just not be so rigid that we can’t hear what he has to say.
After all, he’s said in his Word, over and over, “Behold, I do a new thing.”
And what if he does, again?
Stirring The Pot 