Stuck on a Still Train

A couple of years ago, I took a train to New York City from my home in Virginia. The train stopped often for a few moments, letting more people on board, dropping off others who needed to get off. I sat at my window seat and watched the scenery flash past. 

At one point, countryside turned into suburbia, which turned into cityscape. The train pulled into a station and stopped. The engines died.

I knew where we were (just outside of Washington, D.C.). But I hadn't realized that we were staying there for any extended period of time. I had been on the train for a while, and I was tired (and motion-sick) already. I knew we still had a long way to go, but the engines were off, and we were stuck.

Just... sitting. I was impatient to move, but the time hadn't arrived yet, not until the conductor came through again to check tickets an hour later, which was an hour later than I wanted to move.

I used to joke with my friends when I was making important decisions that, boy, it'd be nice if the Lord would use sky-writing to tell me what His will was. You know, a nicely scripted out jet stream of fluffy whiteness saying: "Go here, do this, be that, understand this."

It'd sure be nice.

But as I'd stare at the sky and pray and watch the jet streams that actually crisscrossed the expanse slowly waft away with the wind, I was glad that God's word isn't as ephemeral and unsteady as a vapor of cloud.

God's word is eternal and pure (Psalm 19:9), it's truth (John 17:17), it's life and light (John 14:6). So the reminder that God appeared to Moses in the form of a cloud today made me sit and contemplate this idea for a while. 

I finished Exodus today. I had been planning to read and write about each chapter as it came, and I still could have, but since chapters 36 through 40 are in large part repetition of the instructions for building the Tabernacle that I've already written about, I wanted to get a "big picture" look at the set-up for this place where God would meet with His people. 

The repetition of the Tabernacle set-up makes sense: In ancient Near-Eastern literature, repetition was used to cement narrative into the minds of the people. In essence, in teacher speak, chapters 36 through 40 of Exodus are a summative assessment -- the end-of-the-semester exam -- that pulls out of the students all that the teacher has spent time explaining. 

Who can tell me what was the name of the outer garment the priest wore? Billy? The ephod. Yes, Billy, you're correct. Good job. Who knows what Moses placed into the Ark before he put the Atonement Cover over it? Susie? Why yes, it was the Testimony. Great job! Who knows what the basin for washing turned into later when Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem? George? The Sea! You're right, George! Class, all of you get A's. I'm proud of you.

Okay, all that aside. Look at the very end of Exodus, in 40:34-38: "Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tabernacle, they would set out, but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out -- until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the Tabernacle by day, and the fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels."

No need for sky-writing for the Israelites! They've got a cloud containing the Lord's presence that rests over the Tabernacle until the time comes for the Israelites to move.

They go nowhere... until the Lord tells them to. "If the cloud did not lift, they did not set out -- until the cloud lifted."

Let's take a closer look at that cloud. Ezekiel gives us a good description, likely not seen in such detail by most of the Israelites, but it's the same God in the cloud in Ezekiel's vision as the One Who goes with the Israelites. 

Look with me at Ezekiel 1:4: "I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north -- an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light."

Sounds familiar: "...fire was in the cloud by night" (Exodus 40:38).

Zooming in: "The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, and their wings touched on another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved."

Gracious. I imagine Ezekiel dropped his telescope and rehinged his jaw that had been hanging open. Maybe not, but this description is only the beginning of God's throne.

"Wherever the Spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went" (Ezekiel 1:12).

In other words, the Spirit of God came to Ezekiel, and did not stay still! These creatures moved with the Spirit; they went where He went! "As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces... As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went."

Taking stock of the vision so far: a cloud that moved. Inside the cloud, something bright. On closer inspection, it's molten metal. On even closer inspection, it's four living creatures with four faces, and wheels within wheels...

And Ezekiel takes a bit of time to say, several times... that these creatures moved. "When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved, and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the Spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them..." 

And then... the best part: "Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome!"

Americans overuse that word. I noticed it especially when I lived in Ireland and my go-to wrap-up of anything pretty nifty was "Hey, that's awesome." And the Irish, who use it less, would nod in agreement. "It's brilliant," was their wrap-up of the nifty thing.

Either way, my use of the word does a disservice to the way it's used here. Awesome, holy, majestic, mind-blowing, beyond understanding might be better descriptors.

"Under the expanse [of what sparkled like ice] their wings stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings."

Sight and sound: They move, and it's deafening. Ever tried to have a casual conversation next to a waterfall? You have to shout to be heard. I haven't stood in the middle of an army's tumult lately, but I imagine it's also loud. The sounds around you fill you up so you can hardly think. It's overwhelming.

But when the creatures stand still... here's what happens: "Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings."

When they stand still... God speaks. He moves... and then He speaks.

I hope you're figuring out where I'm going by this point.

"Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire (my favorite, favorite gem; the blue is just beautiful!), and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up, He looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down, He looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord."

And Ezekiel can't stay on his own two feet. Note that it's the likeness, the vision, the filtered effect... and it's still so overwhelming, he can't stand up. "When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of One speaking."

No wonder Moses' face shone when He met with the Lord! No wonder Ezekiel can't control his limbs, and he has to fall facedown! This is awesome! Not cool, not rad, not brilliant, not super, not even -- to dip back into the '80's -- tubular.

God's throne is AWESOME.

And God's throne MOVES wherever His Spirit wants to go. 

I love Ezekiel's emphasis on movement. Why? 

How often do we forget that His Spirit moves? The Israelites -- they get a physical reminder of it: "Hey y'all, the cloud's up today! Time to pack up!" Ezekiel got a visual reminder of it: "God's sapphire throne's got wheels and creatures, y'all!" 

We don't usually get sky-writing. We don't usually get a cloud forming a giant arrow in the sky and spelling out the words: "Your Destiny." 

Here's my thought train: 

God's throne moves wherever His Spirit wants to go. Where is the dwelling place of God's Spirit? 

In us.

So when we want to know where or what or how or who, where do we look for our guidance? 

To His Spirit, living in us. 

God's Spirit... Who moves!

I think we get stalemated sometimes. We think we've got nowhere to go. Nothing new under the sun, says the writer of Ecclesiastes. It's all been said, and it's all been done. We're stuck. We're caught. Our lives are on pause as we wait for a vaccine, a break in the stream of angry news coming through our newsfeeds. We're bolted down in discouragement, because we forget one essential thing:

God moves. 

So when it feels like the end of the train line... don't forget, the journey is still ahead of you. He's still got places He wants to take you, things He wants to do through you. This awesome God who sits on a throne of sapphire above an expanse that sparkles like ice... 

His Spirit lives in you, and He moves!