From the desk of Pastor Ben
The Father’s Testimony of the Son – Part 2

A voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.”         (Matthew 17:5-6)

Directly addressing the 3 disciples — perhaps Peter in particular — God said, “Listen to Him!” He was saying, in effect, “If My Son tells you He must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, believe Him. If He tells you He will be raised up on the third day, believe Him. If He tells you to take up your own cross and follow Him, then do it. If He says He will come again in glory, then believe Him and live accordingly.”

Peter and his two companions now knew they stood in the awesome presence of Almighty God. As would be expected, all three fell to the ground in fear.
The combined awareness of the Lord’s grace and His majesty, His love and His justice, His friendship and His lordship should cause a kind of spiritual tension in every believer. On the one hand, you rejoice in your loving fellowship with the Lord because of His gracious kindness, and on the other hand you have reverential fear as you contemplate His awesome holiness and righteousness. As you walk in obedience, you’ll experience the comfort of His presence. But if you are disobedient, you ought to feel the terror of His presence as well.

Ask Yourself:
When was the last time you fell facedown in awe before the Lord, or even in desperation because of your sins or other problems that caused you to pour out your heart before the only One able to help? Why is this not our natural tendency, and how can we change that?