Week 2, Radiant Prayer, Day 6: Received in Us
(Read Luke 9:27-36)
While the gospels of Mark and Matthew contain details after the Transfiguration as they came down the mountain, Luke’s account does not. Instead, his gospel gives more details of the Transfiguration itself. Luke explains that they went to the mountain to pray. Jesus was known for spending long times in prayer, and at some point, during His prayer, the disciples fell into a heavy sleep. Jesus began speaking with Elijah and Moses as the disciples awoke, but Luke said they were “fully awake” when they saw the three in their glory. Luke reveals that Moses and Elijah spoke about Christ’s “decease” or literally His “exodus” which would happen in His death at Jerusalem.
Spiritual Transcendence -- When we pray, the Kingdom of God transcends from Heaven to Earth. In John 1:51, Jesus said that like Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28:12, angels would ascend and descend upon the Son of Man. Christ is our “ladder,” so to speak, bringing God’s transcendence to us.
Prayer brings God’s power from Heaven’s spiritual kingdom to this material universe. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven,” (Matthew 6:10). Prayer brings God’s transcendence, overcoming the limitations of this physical existence, to enable us to do His will. We should long for Jesus to descend to us in our prayers.
The radiance of the Transfiguration shows how prayer can change us. Jesus was physically transformed while praying. Christian believers are to be inwardly changed from the inside out, not from the outside in. We are to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” (Romans 12:2).
Prayer is more than God changing things. When we pray, God changes us and empowers us to change things. Christ’s Transfiguration displayed the Kingdom of God and its power. Through prayer we manifest His Kingdom and His will on earth.
Have you ever enjoyed a worship service so much that you didn’t want it to end? Peter “not knowing what he was saying” offered to build three tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. He exclaimed, “It’s good for us to be here!” when He saw the Old Testament prophets leaving. However, there was ministry to be done in the valley below. Likewise, we are given spiritual mountaintop experiences so we can go to do the work in the valleys of life.
Pray this prayer to God: “Lord God, as the clouds of heaven descend on us in prayer, let us remember that You come to us so that we can go in Your Name to others. Let us pray to You, hear from You, but also let us receive Your presence to give to others. Amen.”
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