Shock and Awe
As we engaged Iraq in the first war of the new Millennium, the military spoke frequently and emphatically about the coming “Shock and Awe” phase of the military operation. Most everyone scratched their heads at this peculiar phrase.
In the Hebrew traditions, there is a word that is used to define the cloud of God's glory: It is roughly translated as “Shekinah” but the Hebrew mystics wrote it as “SHKNH”. Shock and awe. It is highly probable that the strategists in the Psychological Warfare division of the army, who have a flair for the dramatic as well as the mystic and sometimes occultic, knew full well that the entire middle east would understand perfectly what “Shock and Awe” meant. When they added the new bomb, the “Mother of All Bombs” - “Moab” - I saw the picture. Moab was the sworn enemy of Israel, and was completely destroyed.
As I was thinking about this clever use of words, it struck me that “shock and awe” does indeed describe the true power of God.
I remember as a young believer when the Holy Spirit was doing incredible things among large groups of people, specifically youth, I heard several teachers and pastors refer to the “shekinah” glory of God. It was the Cloud of God's Presence that descended and rendered everyone awestruck, powerless and stunned.
As with many of my dearly loved and tightly held spiritual ideas, it was only last month when I discovered that the word Shekinah was NOT in the Bible! It is from Jewish mystical writings. But the REALITY of Shekinah is VERY scriptural:
“And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the Holy (place) that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the Glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.” (1 Kings 8:10)
Can you imagine what it must have been like, for God's Presence to be so overwhelming that they couldn't even stand up?
There is a reason God had to hide His full Presence (face) from Moses, and even though Moses only saw part of Him, he had to cover his face it was shining so bright with God's Glory! (Exodus 34:29-31)
Shock and awe, indeed.
I have been blessed on several occasions to experience that kind of Divine Unveiling Presence. I'd like to tell you about just three.
When I was at Bible School, we had a special chapel speaker who taught on prophetic worship and song. As she led us through several worship songs, the entire atmosphere of the auditorium began to change. Like the surging and receding of waves on the shore, the worship would rise, fall, rise higher, until it built into a crescendo so overwhelming that it sounded like a million voices at once. Then, nothing - just a terrible, Holy silence - followed by a heavy Cloud of Presence that rendered the 600 plus students - myself included - speechless, shaking, and prostrate on the floor. I feared to move, hiding my head covered with hands under the seat in front of me.
Before it was over, several hours had passed!
Shock and Awe.
The second time, I was attending chapel at the tiny live-in center of Youth Defenders, a ministry for brain damaged kids. It was my first ministry position. I was nineteen.
I had almost not gone that night. But while sitting in the service, my mind was taken from the Pastor's words by specific scriptures from the book of Acts that came roaring into my mind. I opened my Bible and found each one - each one dealing with anointing, calling, being called out and sent forth and ordained for the work of the ministry. And each time I found the specific verse God was speaking to me, the pastor read the exact same verse! One scripture after another, I would find and the Pastor would read and expound on - except I was too shaken to hear - I began to literally shake all over from the Presence I felt descending on me. The Presence descended on the entire chapel, and the Pastor began to weep under the power of the Presence and suddenly exclaimed, “I can't continue! Greg, come forward; we are to lay hands on you and commission you for the work of the ministry!” I RAN - but I never made it to the raised platform where the Pastor was. I ended up at the bottom stair, my face buried in the carpet, so terrified by this awesome Presence that I dared not look up! I wept and trembled as they lay hands on me and sent me forth as the scriptures command.
That was shock and awe. God unexpectedly showed up and changed my destiny and direction forever.
The third time, I was in the privacy of my bedroom. It was a time when I had suffered deep personal losses and was burned out and crippled with an overwhelming sense of personal failure in my life and my ministry. I was near to quitting altogether.
I had not felt God's love in so long, I had become a hollowed out shell, empty and lost. “Father,” I cried quietly, “I need You. I need to FEEL Your love, or I'm not going to make it.”
In a few moments, I felt Him approach, and I felt Him hovering over me. I began to weep and to worship Him. His Spirit touched me, touched my body, my burnt emotions, my fractured mind. The presence of pure love enveloped me until my whole body felt, what? Overpowered is such a weak word to describe it. His love grew stronger as I worshipped, and soon I was caught up in a Presence so strong I could not move a muscle. Stronger it became, stronger, stronger! I felt at that moment that if He drew any nearer, I would simply vacate my body and be translated into heaven in one instant! “No more, Jesus, please!” I cried out. “I can't take anymore! Please, it's too much!” And He lovingly withdrew Himself, leaving me both revived and shaken to my foundation.
Now, that was shock and awe!
You know, I know we think we know what we're asking for when we ask for the power of God, for His Glory to fall in our midst. But we really don't.
I always am very wary of people that say they see angels, hear God's voice and see visions like it was nothing at all, just flippantly talking like they're telling you what they ate for lunch.
I wonder if they are hearing God at all. Do you know why?
Because when God showed up in the Scriptures, there was rarely any lighthearted, flippant reaction. There was usually terror! Like Daniel, when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him: “...When he came I was afraid and fell on my face...and I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days...” (Daniel 8:17,27) “...the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves...and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength...while he was speaking I stood trembling...I turned my face to the ground and became speechless... (Daniel 10:7,8,11,15)
Now God did not leave him in that condition; the Angel spoke to him, comforted and strengthened him. But this was no casual encounter; it COST Daniel something physically, and it terrified everyone around him! “But that's Old Testament!”, you say. Yes, I know. And I know we can come boldly to the throne of Grace. But when Paul met Jesus, he had an almost identical experience, being knocked off his horse by the power of God! I am sure he never flippantly referred to how God “touched” him!
Do you understand what I am saying? Even Peter, when he saw Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah, was heavy with sleep under the Presence, and when he awoke and realized what was going on, he was so dumbstruck that he mumbled something about setting up a tent for them to visit! It even says, “not knowing what he said.”
I could go on and on. After Jesus' resurrection, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit outpouring. They waited and prayed, and He was poured out as flames of fire descended on each and all heaven broke loose. The rest of the story is in the book of Acts - resurrections, multitudes saved and healed and delivered, or as it was said, they turned the whole world upside down. You better believe everyone, especially the disciples, were experiencing the shock and awe Presence of God!
It makes me sad for us. We are content with so little from God, really. We're satisfied with a nice sermon, a few well-oiled goosebump-producing songs and a nice potluck, then back to business as usual.
We do not long for more. We do not hunger for it.
On the other hand, we should know what we are asking for when we pray for the Spirit to come. For when He does, if you expect gentle waves of fluffy clouds, beware. Our God is a consuming fire.
When He comes, “His winnowing fan will be in His hand, and he will thoroughly purge his threshing floor.” (Matthew 3:12) When He comes, He comes to cleanse, to purify, to make a straight path.
When He comes, it will NOT be business as usual. All bets are off; all potlucks canceled until further notice. We'll find all our planned order of service completely ruined, as Jesus comes with HIS agenda - convicting, healing, transforming. We will cry like the prophet Isaiah: “I am undone!”
I long for and tremble at the prospect of that visitation. I long for it because I am bound by my own mundane struggles, my visionlessness, my sad satisfaction with tiny spiritual snacks and my struggle toward lukewarmness. I long for God's Presence to break apart these shackles of spiritual impotence and carelessness and casualness and in a Paul-blinding moment reorder, redirect and re-anoint my life in such a way that I will never be the same again. I want to be RUINED by God.
We sing the song, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” I am sure that we mean it, at least we mean that we long for Him to come and take us Home.
But my heart has been singing it in a new way: “Come now. Come HERE. Come down in the shock and awe Glory of all that You are, and consume all of me in You, and fill me with everything You are. No matter what it takes, Jesus, come!
And if this becomes our corporate prayer, the world may yet see the kind of shock and awe of God's Power that will once again turn the world upside down!
Gregory R Reid
