Below is an excerpt from Behold: 40 Days of Seeing and Savoring God, my newest devotional, which is currently available on Amazon. Let’s read through the story of Jesus’s transfiguration together and see what God is saying to us today!
“Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.” Luke 9:28-36 (ESV)
I invite you to engage your imagination with this story. Let’s put ourselves in the middle of the action and see what we can learn about God.
Stick yourself right on top of that mountain with the disciples. How would you have reacted if you saw Jesus (who you had been hanging around with all over Israel) suddenly appearing as His glorified self? I probably would’ve reacted like Peter. I probably would’ve wanted to do something instead of reverently bowing and worshipping Jesus. My first instinct wouldn’t have been to behold Him.
Once Peter gets himself worked up, certain that his idea is a good one, God’s voice booms from the heavens and reorients Peter and the group back to what’s important: Jesus. Listening to Jesus is the priority. We don’t need to spout wordy or perfect prayers. We don’t have to do anything; we are obedient when we sit and listen to Him.
One last note: after the heavenly wakeup call, Jesus is left alone in his non-glorified body. Even when He wasn’t decked out in all His splendor, He was still glorious. He was still worthy of following. He was still perfect love displayed. He was still God’s beloved son. He was still to be listened to. May we listen to him today!
What stood out to you in this passage?
What is God saying to you?
Check out Behold: 40 Days of Seeing and Savoring God.
Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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