THE STAGE IS SET
I took this photo from our deck a few mornings back and I have found myself continually coming back to it, with the sense that there was more God wanted to tell me.
The first words that came to mind were “THE STAGE IS SET”.
I see a curtain, ready to be lifted, and with it is a sense of a kids’ concert. I can almost hear them giggling and shuffling behind the curtain, ready and waiting to enact the performance of their lives that they have practiced so hard to be ready for. Added to this is the sound of angels singing, again, excited for what is to come. They are like those in the orchestra pit, tuning their instruments, warming up for a big performance. Perhaps most importantly, I see the glory bursting out around the edges of the curtain – the curtain cannot contain it. The glory is getting so brilliant that the curtain can no longer cover or hide it.
Glory is about to burst out everywhere! Glory is about to BREAKTHROUGH!
Reflecting on what is meant by “the stage is set”, this definition made sense, that the stage is set “to make it possible for something else to happen” (Cambridge Dictionary online). What I am sensing is that everything is ready for the next act, that all the people and pieces are in place for a shift, for something new and it feels like a wedding feast. The joy, anticipation and excitement I am feeling are so palpable that I almost can’t sit still. I believe that in this act, God is going to reveal His glory in amazing ways. There are a number of aspects to this.
The first is that it is God’s act. Just as the curtain or veil was torn in two from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross, if you look carefully at the photo, it seems that there is a tear starting at the top in the centre. He is the Director and Producer and we all need to be waiting attentively, with our eyes on Him to hear His call to “Action”.
The actors on the stage are His people, His pure and spotless Bride. Jesus said that we must be as little children to enter the Kingdom: dependent on Him; filled with joy; without guile; pure of heart. There is a sense that these are people God has hidden away for such a time as this – they have been in waiting, been in training behind the scenes but He is about to elevate them to centre stage.
Last year I had another picture that links in. The scene was a wedding. The vows had been said, the declaration had been made and the Groom was about to lift the Bride’s veil to seal the covenant with His kiss. In this moment, everyone gets to see the beauty and glory of the Bride as she reflects His glory, and that it is with great pride that Jesus reveals Her to the world. I sensed His very great love for His Bride, His people. His desire is to lift her up, to elevate her to be all He created her to be.
THE STAGE IS SET! Can you feel it? Keep your eyes on Him as you won’t want to miss what comes next! I’m excited!!
"Yours, Adonai, is the greatness, the power, the victory and the majesty; for everything in heaven and on earth is Yours. The kingdom is Yours, Adonai; and You are exalted as head over all." (1Ch 29:11, CJB)