Reflection on Morning Prayer: Our Standing Before God

Following the 1928 prayer book, the Old Testament lesson for morning prayer is taken from Ezekiel 2. In the first chapter, God reveals himself to Ezekiel. God, riding a great fiery chariot, is accompanied by four creatures with four different faces. Terrified by this sight, Ezekiel falls on his face. Ezekiel could not take his stand before God. This is a lesson for us. Because we have no right standing before almighty God, the only response we can have when we are presented with God's glory is to fall on our face.

But then something truly wonderful happens to Ezekiel:

 And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you." Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. (Ezekiel 2:1-2)

It's the Holy Spirit that stands us upon our feet before God. We have no right standing on our own; it's only by the Spirit that we are enabled to stand before God. This is a perfect picture of justification. We approach God not in our own righteousness, but in the Spirit.

Compare this scene from the book of Ezekiel with Jesus' ministry. The gospel reading for morning prayer is from Matthew 9:1-13. Let's look closely at verses 1-7:

So He [Jesus] got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house.

In both of these texts, God is the one who acts. Just as God stood Ezekiel on his feet, He also stood the paralytic upon his feet. God is the primary object of the covenant—He initiates, heals, forgives, and justifies.

The first few verses of Romans 5 sum up our standing before God:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (emphasis mine)