Transfixed by Transfiguration

Mesmerized is something I don't get very often in this day and age. Jaded by life, I kinda don't get surprised by much. But there's something worth getting mesmerized by. Come check it out!

What is transfiguration? 

Can we join Moses and Elijah in being transfigured?

First of all, I searched for definitions.

Transfiguration: a change in form. Metamorphosis of a butterfly.

Transformation: a remaking of something. A remodel. House flipping.

Thanks to a bunch of different sources recently, the Negeb desert has come up a lot in my personal studies. Ironically, Elijah and Moses both had God Encounters in the general area of this desert. 

Moses met God on a mountain at the far end of the desert. I liked how Danielle Wheeler pointed out that God promised him that he would be back, with the whole nation of Israel. Their wandering around the wilderness was fulfilling this promise.

I get excited about the fact that entire chapters of Exodus are conversation between God and Moses. There's the tent of meeting where Moses went to talk to his best friend, God. And his student/helper, Joshua, stayed by the tent of meeting all the time. Details I never noticed.

Moses eventually took on a glow that scared the people because he had spent enough time worshipping God. I paraphrase Evelyn Underhill who says that "worship is the way to allow the influence of God on us." Imagine what that influence could be!?!? Wouldn't a glow be great?

Elijah dropped off his servant in Beersheba, and then went on into the desert. First, an angel fed him. And God spoke to him there.  I don't think that Elijah had plans to meet God. In fact, God woke him up for their conversation.

Later, Elijah was having his last moment with Elisha, and Elisha asked for Elijah's spirit to stay with him. There's some miracles that happened as well, but for transfiguration sake, I want to zoom in on this: other people recognized the spirit of Elijah on Elisha. Somehow they knew.

There's hope for us in the wilderness. The prophets who were in the transfiguration with Jesus both met God there. I'd say we're in good company if we find ourselves in the wilderness, as unpleasant as it might be.

So can we be changed like they were? I think so. Even if we don't get to the glow of Moses, we can at least get close enough to see what the disciples saw. Recently I came across the words of 2 Peter 1 where he writes about the experience. They weren't transfigured, but I think the disciples were transformed. Either way, seeking God enough to experience Him is worthwhile.

One thing that I noticed in both the Old Testament prophets' lives is that the change was seen by other people. Both of them had a follower who would rise up to take their place as a leader. I don't think we can experience transfiguration or transformation without rubbing off on other people. Change doesn't stick with one, but continues it's contagious journey onto others.

So wilderness journeys are the hot, arid, melting points that shatter us, not just to break us. They shatter us so we can experience more of God in our life. Shattered in order to get transformation and transfiguration. Shattered so we become part of powerful beacons of light in a dark place that Peter talked about.

Dive into your study, and then tell me what you got mesmerized by.