“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34
Last Fall, during one of our fireside worship nights, we experienced a beautiful encounter of the Lord. As we lifted high our praises, I leaned back, closed my eyes, and smiled toward the Heavens. After a few moments, I could feel God building a tent around our worship. He shifted us closer together, so the sound was more concentrated and unified. Then, He began to blanket the space where we sang His name. A protective wall of His presence encompassed the sons and daughters of the Most High and a sweet fragrance filled the air among us. It melted my heart to just sit there and feel the labor of His love wrapping this precious offering.
The weight of His glory became like a fog and the sound of our love songs blended into one hum of adoration. Still caught up in the spirit and held closely within the tent of the Father’s heart, I saw fireflies flicker all around us. One thousand flashes of majestic light shining brightly for a second and then fading out as fast as they were revealed. The eyes of my heart were darting all around this holy place to behold the magnitude of God’s glory blinking the reflection of His delight in the atmosphere. As the vision was happening, I began to speak it out above the harmony of saints. With every detail being translated from Heaven to Earth, the number of fireflies increased and I could sense a great awareness of the tent being made known to all.
Before this night, I’d never seen a firefly in my backyard. But as I watched one woman walk to her car, a cloud of fireflies appeared right behind her. I called out to her and asked her to turn around, because God was following her in a playful and tangible way. As she did, all the fireflies lit up together at once and I heard a gasp followed by a cheerful giggle. I stood still marveling that what we just saw in the spirit, He made present in the natural. It was undeniable that the twinkle of our praise and faith attracted the attention of the consuming fire of God’s love for us.
Even though He has the Heavens and universe and all that is and has been, He still longs to rest upon the chorus of His people. He yearns to hear the hymns that rise from our souls and cannot be quenched by the volume of our culture. And He stands at the ready to position Himself as the only structure that can contain the exaltation and reverence due His name.
Every high praise is the dwelling place of God and every act of worship is a moment of eternity where He is glorified forever. And every firefly we’ll see is just a reminder that our lives are filled with more glory and presence than we could ever behold or understand, though we’ll keep singing for Him until His tent is where we remain for all time.
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