What are We Singing: You are Holy (Prince of Peace)

“Can I ask you a question?” my ten-year-old said to me recently. “Have you ever seen Jesus?”

I shook my head. “Not in the physical sense, no. But there have been times—in dreams, for instance—when He came to me in a most real way.”

“What do you mean?” she asked me.

“I mean that even though I couldn’t physically touch Him, it seemed as if I could.”

“What did He look like?” she then asked.

I had to think for a moment before I could answer. “Beautiful,” I finally said. “And brilliant. And exceptional.”

“I wish I could see Jesus,” she said. “Do you think I ever will? Even in a dream?”

I smiled at her innocent face. “Yes, I do. Even in a dream.”

She thought again before speaking. “What did you do when you saw Him?” she asked.

I didn’t have to think to remember. “I wept,” I said. “And I fell at His feet in worship.”

What If You Saw Jesus?

A few years ago this same child sat in the backseat of the car and, as the radio played our favorite contemporary Christian tunes, sang along. One which she sang loudest with was “I Can Only Imagine” (by Mercy Me). The song’s lyrics explore the various things we, as believers, will do upon entering Heaven’s Gates and seeing Jesus for the first time.

If you remember this song (and how could you not?) and sang along with it, did you ask yourself the question, “What will I do when I see Jesus?”

What place does He have in your heart and where does that placement lead you when you consider Him? Leaping? Falling face forward? Backward? Collapsing into a heap at His feet?

WWE/WWJD?

There are two scripture passages (one Old Testament and one New Testament) that are remarkably similar in the experience of the men who wrote about it.

Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.  (Ezekiel 1:25-28)

On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet which said: "Write on a scroll what you see…I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!  (Revelation 1:10-18)

Both the prophet Ezekiel and the apostle John were given visions of God that caused them to fall down…then get up and write about the glory of Him. Neither man could stay quiet concerning their relationship with Him, His with them, and—in turn—His with the world. Though both were in exile—Ezekiel to Babylon and John to Patmos—their extraordinary experiences have been read, studied, and sang about, enduring for thousands of years.

You are Holy, I Bow Down

Michael W. Smith—who has written numerous inspiring songs of praise and worship, most notably since the early 1980s—has given us a song of adoration, exaltation, and awe. You are Holy (Prince of Peace) is, like Ezekiel’s vision and John’s revelation, power driven. As you listen to it—and sing it—be aware of the drumbeat that pounds like a heartbeat within the song.

Jesus, our Prince of Peace deserves our humility (I will adore you…bow down before you) but also our understanding of who He is—our heartbeat—which wraps around our commitment to Him. (I will follow…I will listen…I will love you.)

Extraordinary. Beautiful. Brilliant. Radiant and Glorious. His love for us and ours for Him drives us forward and to our knees all at the same time.

Because He is holy… and worthy of our praise and our worship.

Eva Marie Everson is the author of a number of works such as Oasis, her recently released title from Baker/Revel. A seminary graduate, she speaks on a number of topics and can be reached by going t  www.EvaMarieEverson.com