Back in the 80’s a favorite worship song of mine—and of just about everyone I knew—was “You Are My Hiding Place” by Michael Ledner.
Now, forty years later, Michael pastors and leads worship at a church in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he and his wife Lylah also operate “The Simple Farm,” a community hub of learning, creativity, and inspiration. This week features a short sample from Michael’s pamphlet entitled “These Are the Glory Days: How Christians might reflect on this present life in the life to come.”
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THE GLORY DAYS IN REALM I:
Take John and Jim: two World War II veterans who are now 99 years old. They used to be enemies before they found themselves in the same foxhole together during the war. Now, as dear friends, they are sitting in their local bar talking about—you guessed it: The Glory Days; the days of noble acts of courage, of taking a bullet for your friend, of giving him your last sip of water so he can survive until you get him help. Well, those days can’t be repeated now. Today, these veterans can hardly lift their beer to their mouth, never mind taking bullets for one another. Yes indeed: those were The Glory Days.
A community dinner at Michael & Lylah Ledner’s “Simple Farm.”
THE GLORY DAYS IN REALM II:
Take Rob and Mike. They are in the Millennial reign of Christ, drinking from a mug filled with Living Water. What are they talking about? You guessed it: The Glory Days. The days of spiritual battle in which they were “more than conquerers.” Their crowns tell the story of their faithfulness in hard times—when the world was under the control of the wicked one; crowns that remind them of the opportunities they took to exercise overcoming faith in the face of fear; to love the unlovely, to be generous givers, to pray and fast for people’s souls, to persevere in difficult times, to simply be faithful in the little things.
They’re rejoicing that they took those oppotunities, with the understanding that those golden opportunities are now gone, never to be repeated for all eternity—thankful that they cashed in on those favorable moments.
The overcoming faith that was exercised in the midst of adversities in this present life, produced for Rob and Mike an eternal glory—a greater capacity to appreciate and enjoy God, and a greater place of intimacy with Jesus, forever! It’s a glory that can only be worked into the soul in this life, not in the life to come.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
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Read more of Michael Ledner’s “Glory Days” pamphlet, and also discover his inspiring project “The Simple Farm.”
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