A Smoke-Filled Room

…a gathering of highly positioned people making decisions that may change their world.

…one room, one smoke filled room holding the power of nations, the power of few choosing the direction of many.

And yet there is another room. But instead of smoke, it is filled with a cloud, a cloud so thick that no one can enter. This cloud embodies power and might. The decisions made in this cloud filled room turns the universe on its axis.

Please, enter these rooms with me. Take my hand and let us discover the power of these two rooms…

As the smoke fills the room, one by one powerful leaders enter juggling page after page of captivating research. They assemble around the grand table. Sitting confidently, the agenda for the day begins. One after another, pens tapping on the sturdy wooden table, each person deep in thought about the destiny of those under their influence.

In the next room, there is a cloud. Unlike the smoke, the cloud holds ALL power, all power within ONE spirit. This power too can change the fate of the people, but this power is even greater. This power will change the world…forever. As we step into this room, we soon discover that this cloud is impenetrable. Our attempts to enter are met with great disregard. As this cloud fills the room, we can no longer see. We leave the room standing at a close distance seeing the movement of something beyond our own thoughts and imaginations…we see GLORY!

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
II Chronicle 5:13

Within one room, one confined space, held the most glorious ray of God.

A God of power,

A God of strength,

A God of might,

A God of love,

A God of grace

A God of mercy…

held so tightly within four walls.

On the day when the ark of the covenant was brought to the newly built temple, there was a stirring amongst the people. This was a consecrated day as the ark was carried by the Levitical priests to be placed within this room. People watched from afar as the priests ceremonially brought this piece of sacred ruins to the temple placing it in the room which had been prepared for its presence. Sacrifices had been made that day beyond all sacrifices. Sheep and cattle had been slaughtered beyond the ability to count. All of this had been done because the presence of God was beckoned to fill this place. As musicians played their instruments the sounds of cymbals, harps, lyres and trumpets bellowed out a sound forming into one beautiful harmonious sound. Worshipers listened from far distances. This was the sound of majesty reigning in high places.

“HE IS GOOD;

HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER,” they sang.

The sound of the voices and the notes of the instruments created a crescendo that reached far beyond the temple. This sound pushed passed these walls into the mountains and valleys of the people looking for the One True God. His presence was felt as all raised their voices in praise.

This was the God that was unseen yet they could sense His presence; they could sense His majesty.

Then in a blink of an eye while all worshipers were fixed on the invisible God, a cloud began to form. Not a cloud filling the sky causing darkness to cover the land, but a cloud different from any other cloud seen before. A cloud filled with power; a cloud filled with strength.

This cloud grew inside the temple pushing the worshipers to the edge of the room. One by one, the priest laid down their instruments of ceremony shocked at what was before them. Watching the cloud continue to grow, they could no longer perform their acts of service for the cloud then had filled the room.

What was this cloud? What had disturbed their worship?

None caused this disruption other than the One they were worshiping. God’s glory was present. God’s glory was disruptive. As He filled His room, His place of rest, His power was so great that He turned the world on its axis. This was not a smoke-filled room with many leaders, this was a cloud filled room with One leader, with One God.

But His glory was not to be wasted only on moments of triumph. His glory was to be spent every day in exceedingly small ways. His glory was to fill the hearts of the people as though the same cloud of glory that filled the temple filled their lives.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
I Corinthians 3:16

And yet today, we are God’s temple. Our minds and our bodies reflect His glory. The same power that filled the room within the temple of Solomon is the same power that dwells within us. We as believers carry His glory yet we dull this power because we fail to use this power within us. We walk as though we have received extraordinarily little bits of God. We doubt His love. We question His ability. We falter in our belief.

But if we would step back as the worshipers did within the story of Solomon’s temple, we could see what dwells within us. We could walk confidently and boldly not doubting what lies before us. We could face each challenge with the weapons God has given us. We could live by faith and not by fear. The power of The Cloud would conquer the power of the smoke not looking to the leaders of this world for direction but to the Leader of the Universe.

Do you believe that the power of The Cloud dwells within you? If so, then live accordingly!

Written by Melody Westbrook. 
Melody Westbrook is the founder of The Walk Ministries, a ministry designed to bring women together through God’s story. She was a pastor’s wife for 35 years and has authored the book The Walk Back to Eden. She is a communicator who loves to tell God’s story written within each of us while using her personal experience of a broken marriage and childhood survivor of abuse to communicate God’s redemption story. She loves teaching real women real stories of real life from God’s word. You can find her at The Walk. 
You can find more of Melody's posts on the PriorityNow Blog here.