A Little Face Time
In today’s world of electronic gadgets, we are becoming more and more accustomed to communicating with people via email, SKYPE™, or text. It is so common that a new phrase has popped up in our generation to describe a real-life interaction with a person – “face time”. We have “face time” with someone when we are actually talking to the person face to face!
What we truly need in our generation is face time with God. I have been studying a theme in the Bible that God is really turning my heart toward here of late – face down worship. Our communication with God should not only be a regimented time each day that we squeak out a few “thank you” or “please help” phrases. It should be an ongoing communication about how we interact with the people and circumstances in our lives. From time to time, we should also be having some “face down” experiences with the God who created the universe.
One of the first places I can find the principle of face down worship is in Leviticus 9. Leviticus can be a difficult book to read because of the long descriptions of all of the sacrifices and cleanliness laws, but hang in there with it. Even though we are no longer under this covenant, we can still learn valuable lessons. In Leviticus 9, we read of how all of the proper sacrifices had been made and all the proper preparations of the high priest (who was Aaron) had been completed. All of this was done so “that the glory of the LORD may appear” to them (v. 6). You see, all of the commands given in Leviticus were so that God could dwell with man in the form of the Shekinah glory, which was represented by the fiery cloud that descended and consumed the sacrifice. That is all God has ever wanted from His people – to dwell with us because He loves us so deeply. Since we are under the new covenant, we have the glory of God dwelling right in us through the Holy Spirit.
Leviticus 9:23-24 describes the scene as the glory of God fell: Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
Whoa – can you imagine that description? No wonder the writer of Hebrews says that God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29)! This was God’s way of demonstrating that He was pleased with all they had done in preparation for fellowship with Him. Notice the response of the people – they just went face down in the dirt, shouting and worshiping Jehovah! Now that is a proper response to the demonstration of God’s power. It was also their sign that God was dwelling among them.
So what application does this have for us today? We no longer need blood sacrifices to be consumed by fire because that work was accomplished through Jesus Christ on the cross. However, we are called to present our bodies as “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual service” (Romans 12:1). We should find private places in our homes to go face down to the ground in total surrender to Him.Have a little “face time” with the one who created you and knows you intimately. Remember that you are fellowshipping with the same God who came down in a blast of fire that consumed the sacrifce in Leviticus 9.
