have you ever pondered on the word 'Revelation'?
You will often hear preachers and leaders speaking on receiving a revelation from God.
What is a revelation? a sudden idea? and uneducated guess? a farce? a cliche saying? I love to think of a revelation as an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen.
The word revelation is made up of two words. 'Revel or Reveal' and 'Ation' The meaning for the verb reveal is obvious. to reveal something. to unveil and expose. sounds somewhat similar to revelation doesn't it. So why use the word revelation? I believe it is the suffix tacked on the end that makes the difference. Ation. Ation is the result or product of action. To receive a revelation it requires action. a deliberate change of motion from oneself.
The original meaning of the word 'revelation' comes from the late latin word 'revelare'.
A used to describe that which was 'stripped down and laid bare'. An amazing coincidence or perfect platform to receive a revelation. you decide...
I think too often we chase the preacher, mime all the actions and look for uplifting reactions from those around us. We are consumed with public performance and neglect private devotion when needing a revelation from God.
A Revelation demands that we in our private devotion, strip down our identity issues, let go of our insecurities and dispose of grudges and past hurts. we are summonsed to lay bare before Christ. Like He was stripped down and laid bare before humanity. The greatest revelation.
So what is a revelation? Yes it is the uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. Yet I believe it is more then the unveiling of a passage or a new found idea or the Holy Spirit giving you the answer, rather I believe true revelation is the action of us as humanity unveiling of ourselves before God. stripping ourselves down and laying bare before God. it is then that we receive revelation.
