But he [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55–56
Lord Jesus, everything about this scene declares your engagement, care, and love for us. With stones bouncing off his brow, Stephen saw you standing at the right hand of the Father—rising for the occasion of Stephen’s greatest need.
May this story supplant every wrong notion we have about your “sitting at the right hand of the Father.” Your “sitting” doesn’t speak of exhaustion, passivity, or inactivity. On the contrary, you sit enthroned as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, faithfully working in all things for our good (Rom. 8:28). Indeed, you are joyfully sitting on a throne—THE throne, not lying in a hammock.
All of your enemies are becoming your footstool, your kingdom is advancing, your Bride is growing in size and beauty, and you are tenaciously caring for us, your lambs. (Heb. 10:12–13).
Jesus, forgive us for thinking otherwise. Forgive us for thinking you’ve forgotten about us, or that we’ve done something to make you angry with us. You are our perfect righteousness, not our second chance. You love us unconditionally because you met all the conditions for us. You will never leave us or forsake us. We confess that sometimes—especially when life seems hard, unfair, and lonely, we entertain these gospel-less, grace-less notions.
We ask you to do the same for us as you did for Stephen. Open the eyes of our hearts to see more of you, more often. Let us see “heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56), no matter if the sky is filled with darkness or is Carolina blue. Show us yourself, and it will be enough. So very Amen we pray, in triumphant and tender name.