Falling Flat

“Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.” So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory of which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet…” –Ezekiel 3:22-24a

How do you respond when you encounter the Lord? Do you scoff at Him? Do you run away? Do you get angry with God? Do you tell Him all your problems? Do you pay attention to what He has to say to you? Do you stand in amazement of who He is? Or, like Ezekiel, do you fall on your face before Him?

Ezekiel knew what it meant to be in the presence of the Lord. He probably knew what the Israelites said in Deuteronomy 5:26: “For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?” Ezekiel knew that where he was standing was one of the most privileged places he could ever be. He was standing before the glory of the Lord God. He responded correctly by falling on his face before God.

As believers, we are encouraged, even commanded to come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4). But there still needs to be a realization of who it is we are actually going before for help. When we enter the presence of the Lord through prayer, we are bringing ourselves before the Almighty God, the Lord of hosts, the living God. We stand before the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God who sent His Son to provide the only way of salvation for us. So when we enter the presence of the Lord, we stand on holy ground.

The proper response would be for us to fall on our faces before Him. We must realize that we are nothing in His sight and without Him, we can do nothing. Ezekiel demonstrates for us the principle we find in James 4:10: “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Ezekiel didn’t stand before God and plead his case. He didn’t try and defend himself, or say anything at all. He merely fell before the Lord, humbled to be in the presence of the Almighty. When Ezekiel showed his humble attitude, the Lord lifted him up and set him on his feet.

So I ask again, how do you respond to an encounter with the living God? May I suggest you humbly fall flat on your face before Him and let Him lift you up.