Six Steps

[II Sam 6:13] “And so it was, when the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.”


This is another fascinating story. I previously wrote about how the first attempt to retrieve the ark ended in disaster. (See Modern Ways and the Ancient of Days) David must have gone back and studied the law concerning the ark of the Lord and how holy it was because God is holy. He must have been reminded from the law how the ark was to be transported. I am sure the story of Uzzah’s death was told and retold. David was angry and confused by his death and therefore he did not bring the ark back to the city of David for some time.
Preparations were made. Prayers were offered. It was a solemn moment when the poles were run through the ark and it was lifted onto the shoulders of the bearers to transport the ark back home. With deep reverence and a sigh of relief the first step was taken. I can feel the tension even as I write about it. How would you have felt to be chosen to carry the ark back knowing that Uzzah was struck dead for touching the ark and here you are only inches from it taking your first step? Would God strike them dead as well? One step and a sigh of relief. They lived. They were mercifully spared. Courageously and cautiously they proceeded. A second step was taken and then a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. At the sixth step the joy and the humility could not be contained any longer.
David stopped the whole parade and had an ox sacrificed. That is what holiness mixed with grace and mercy does. When was the last time you were really awed by God? I am talking about a time when you were so blown away by God that you were stopped in your tracks to offer worship. For me it was while on a prayer retreat and watching a couple of eagles. I worshipped in that moment with no music, no lights, and no stage. It was just the Lord and I and it was intense. In those moments as I gazed beyond this planet through time and space to gaze upon the face of my Father, I was humbled, challenged, and awed. It happened again on a weekday as I crawled on the altar in our sanctuary with no lights and no crowds to seek the Lord. It was a profound encounter with the Lord that defies description.
It seems to me few people are awed by God anymore. We are in such a hurry to get through our days, sprint through devotions (if they are had at all), and we do not know how to slow down long enough to meditate on the Lord and to worship Him. David was overcome with a flood of emotions as he watched nervously, prayerfully, and reverently as those men carrying the ark took just six steps and it led him to offer a sacrifice and brought joy and gladness to his heart.
Think about how casually we enter into worship these days. I normally get to the church before anyone else and enjoy some time thinking, praying, and preparing myself to worship. There are times I make the ten minute walk to worship to focus on the Lord and meditate on His greatness. Not one time in all of those Sunday mornings have I ever gotten six steps out of my drive way and had to stop and bask in the grace and mercy of the Lord. Not one time have I ever been stopped in my tracks and stunned by the holiness of the Lord. I hear the casual chatter before the start of each service. Few seem focused or prepared to meet with the Lord. I can remember one Sunday morning when God showed up at the FBC Paradise in such a powerful way it altered the rest of the day.
It was a normal Sunday in every way until Darrell sat down at the baby grand piano and began singing a song called “I Bowed on my Knees and Cried Holy.” As he sang it was obvious that he had gone six steps into the song and God had arrested his heart, his mind, and his emotions. He could barely finish the rest of the lyrics as tears fell down his cheeks and his voice began to crack under the encounter he was having with the Lord. My ability to describe that moment is limited. How do you take such a holy moment and capture it with words? It is impossible. It was one of those moments that you would have had to have been there. Even for those few dozen people who were in attendance at that early service I am not sure they really were aware of what was happening. Darrell finished the song and the weighty presence of God saturated and drenched the sanctuary that morning.
There was a holy hush over the congregation. I sat prayerfully on the front pew not knowing what to do. It was time for me to preach but God had interrupted everything that morning and preaching seemed the last thing I wanted to do. I slowly arose from the front pew and shuffled up to the steps to stand behind the pulpit. At first all I could do was bow my head silently asking God for direction. As the moments passed the presence of God in my heart increased and I knew I was not to preach the message I had prepared for that morning. I finally tried to mutter a prayer confused, humbled, and awed by the presence of God. As I uttered the first few words all I could think about was a verse in Ecclesiastes which states, “Do not be hasty in word of impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.” [Eccl 5:2]
Just as soon as I opened my mouth and tried to pray out loud I felt the Lord muzzled me. What He was doing that morning was far beyond me. He did not need my help to accomplish His purposes. I stopped in mid sentence and stepped away from the pulpit and off the stage. By this time Darrell was lying prostrate on the floor face buried in the carpet. We sat through the remainder of that service without a word being said. There was complete silence and the penetrating presence of God in our midst. I confessed sin, adored Him, and sat overwhelmed by His holiness, vastness, and awesomeness.
I don’t know how long we sat there. Many never did understand what was going on and left in disgust that the preacher acted weird and did not preach that morning. They had come to hear a sermon but missed meeting with God in ways that a sermon could never foster. God had chosen to fill the temple with His glory and He needed no words from me. After a while people got up and either headed for their journey groups or some left and went home. To say I was stunned by the whole experience that morning would be an understatement. All I wanted to do was be alone to enjoy and soak in the glorious presence of the Lord. That experience has not been duplicated one time in three and a half years before or since.
You must be aware of your moments. David was so focused and in tune with God that after six steps he was stunned and moved to worship right there in the moment. Was it convenient? Yes. Did it postpone the plan to get the ark back? Yes. Was this worship moment unexpected and spontaneous? Yes. We need more moments like that. We need moments when God shows up and freezes us in our tracks. We need more moments when the formality of worship comes to a grinding halt when God shows up and simply says I do not need musical instruments, sermons, choirs, or ministers to meet with My people. In fact back in the book of II Chronicles God showed up in the temple with all of His glory and nobody else could go in. [II Chron 7:1-5]
As you go through your day today I challenge you to walk slowly and whether you go six steps or one thousand steps or even a lifetime full of steps, when God shows up stop everything and worship. When we are blessed with those opportunities we must take full advantage of them. In all my years of preaching I can only think of two other worship services where I felt the presence of the Lord as strongly as I felt it that early morning service in Paradise. Once was in a church in central Texas where I was preaching a revival on a Monday night. The Lord came in power and I got prostrate on the floor behind the pulpit. The other was in the Baptist Student Ministries building on the campus of Angelina College on the first night of a college revival I was preaching. The invitation was given and people fell in repentance all over the room. I was soon aware the Lord did not need me and I fell prostrate on my face in His presence. In both cases I was stunned by the Lord and felt a clear command to get out of the spot light and let the Lord do whatever He wanted to do.
Our worship services are far too formal, carefully crafted, and programmed for God to have His way often. I know today as I seek His face and this coming Sunday as I join and lead in corporate worship I will be reminded of the six steps. It is the desire of my heart that no matter when and where the Lord chooses to stun, shock, and stagger us with His presence, I want to stop everything and worship.