A daily devotional moment by Chris Garcia
Mark 9:1–13 (NKJV): And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
The more that I am with the Lord, spending time with Him in worship, the more that I realize that I try to get in the way. The more that I am with Him, the more I realize that I try to help Him. When in reality, He does not need my help. He just needs my praise. So many times we get frustrated. We feel like we need to do something or say something or act something out for God's presence to come. In reality, those are only fleshly attempts to receive a breakthrough from God. It is more important that our hearts are attentive to seeking Him and glorifying Him in our hearts more than anything. The more that I wait before the presence of God, the more that I sit with Him, the more that I realize, that He does not need my help. I do not have to say anything to make Him say or do anything. He just wants those who are willing to offer themselves completely over to Him. The only thing that He requires of you, is you. All of you. So many times we come to the Lord with divided attentions and divided intentions. Instead of just being with Him, to just know Him. I find that the more I take a back seat, the more that I get myself out of my own way. The more that I get out of the way, the more the presence of God ministers to me. The more the presence and the glory of God begin to reveal things to me. So many times we are like Peter, James, and John (Mark 9:1-13) that went up to the mountain of transfiguration. Where the scripture said, “Some of you will not taste death until you see the Kingdom.” He was speaking of transfiguration. The scriptures say that Jesus called Peter, James, and John up to a very high mountain. The scripture also says, that as He was there, Peter, James, and John were there with Jesus. Elijah and Moses appeared and Christ. The Scripture says, that the glory of the Lord was manifested on that mountain. Peter did not know what to do, in the presence of God so He thought that He needed to say something instead of enjoying that very moment. He thought that He needed to add something. Instead of just witnessing that revealing of Christ. Soaking it in and being invited to that secret, beautiful, intimate exchange with Christ, Peter thought it was a good idea to start getting ahead. The scriptures say that Peter said, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tabernacles, one for You Moses, and Elijah. "
As Peter was speaking, the glory of God overshadows them and they fall to the ground trembling and they hear a voice from Heaven. The voice said, “This is my beloved Son, Hear Him.” In other words, listen to Him. Have you been there? There are moments in which Jesus invites us to the high place. Either through prayer, or through worship, or through contemplation with God. There are moments in which He invites us to have a revealing of Himself. In a way, we have never seen it before. But often times we get preoccupied with what we want to say. What we want to do. We get preoccupied with our own concerns. As a result, we are in a place where we can miss the moment of revealing. We can miss the moment of unveiling. This is why it is so much more important that we develop ourselves to be still in His presence and desire only to be with Him. Now I am not saying that we shouldn’t pray prayers, or shouldn’t ask for things. I am not saying that we shouldn't specifically ask God for our requests. There is a time and space for that. What we often do, is rush into the presence of God and then leave frustrated. We rush into the presence of God, we start blabbing. We start talking. We start magnifying our concerns. The things we are in need of. As a result, we start listening to the other voices in our heads. We then walk away from our fellowship time with Jesus feeling untouched. Without a glimpse of Jesus. Every day there is a beholding of Christ. Every day there is a place for you to look to Him and become radiant as the Scriptures declare. As I was preaching in church the other day on a message of intimacy at the church, I said, “The most important thing Is to keep the most important thing. The most important thing.” For the believer, the most important thing is your communion with Christ. The sweet exchange of Jesus the fellowship of God. That is what we have been called to. The Holy Spirit is not just given to us for power. The Holy Spirit is not just given for prophecy, miracles, or signs and wonders. Although the Spirit can do those things. The Holy Spirit has been given to you to enliven you in your walk with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has been given to you as a means to draw near to the person of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of God's glory in your life. The Holy Spirit is looking for you to be not just an acquaintance. Not just someone who visits with Him but someone who abides and seeks habitation with Him.
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