S)"18 It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, 19 a man’s face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around."
Ezekiel 41:18-19 (NASB)
O) So, I didn't get too deep on this one, and it's not exactly new to me, but it's new to this blog and I wanted to journal about it for posterity and to share with friends :)
Throughout the Bible, people have encounters with angels and quite often they fall on their faces in fear. As a child, I remember asking my parents about this and the response I got never quite made sense to me. I was always told that the sheer glory of the angel made the people afraid. You know, the glowing aura about them, the booming voice, the possible flight and wings involved... but none of that ever seemed very scary to me. Reading this description, though, makes a lot more sense to me. Seeing an angel with two faces, one of which is that of a lion, that seems much more scary to me! There are other instances where angels are described quite fantastically (even earlier in Ezekiel), but this is the first place I ever really took note of them. Additionally, if angels are fighting on our behalf in the heavenly realms, and not in flesh and blood, then I'd much rather have a lion-faced angel fighting than the type of angel I have on top of our Christmas tree...
A) On that note, when I pray and I'm really fighting spiritually for something, I've often asked God specifically to send some "lion-faced angels" to fight on my behalf. Obviously, God knows my every need, so if He knows that I need a "softer" angel, then by all means, His will be done. Having said that, I think sometimes it helps my attitude to be more aggressive with my prayer times. I want to pray like Epaphras (Colossians 4:12). It helps when I envision the angel(s) being sent with a much more fierce countenance!
P) Father, I put all of my confidence in Your strength and wisdom, LORD. I cannot fight my battles on my own, and You know exactly what kind of support and help I need in my fights, God. Holy Spirit, help me stay aggressive in my prayers. I want to be like Epaphras, and pray hard. Send me the help I need according to Your will and wisdom, God, and in the meantime, I will pray earnestly. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
P) Father, I put all of my confidence in Your strength and wisdom, LORD. I cannot fight my battles on my own, and You know exactly what kind of support and help I need in my fights, God. Holy Spirit, help me stay aggressive in my prayers. I want to be like Epaphras, and pray hard. Send me the help I need according to Your will and wisdom, God, and in the meantime, I will pray earnestly. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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