Stand, Serve, Minister, Burn

Hezekiah, a 25 year old king, brought revival to the nation of Israel by re-establishing the priesthood. In the first year of his reign he reopened the doors of the house of the Lord and called upon the priests and Levites to sanctify themselves. (2 Chron. 29:3-5)

In verse 11 of the same chapter, he commands the Levites and priests to be diligent and to stand before the Lord, to serve Him, minister to Him and burn incense.

As priests, our first call is to stand before the Lord – to stand face to face and encounter Him. Then, out of that encounter comes service and ministry. Everything we do is to flow out of who we are. Sometimes we can wonder where we fit, where we belong and what we are supposed to be doing. But doing is meant to flow out of being.

Our burning of incense (worship and prayer) is also meant to flow out of standing before the Lord. It is this place of encounter that makes us hot for God. As we passionately worship Him our hearts begin to burn. But it all starts by learning to stand. We are to stand in His presence and encounter Him. We stand face to face knowing that we are loved and accepted. Empowered by this loving encounter, we are to minister to Him, serve Him, and worship. As a church and as a people, we are called to stand, serve, minister and burn.