Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
Did not my hand make all these things?’
This is a holy God. This is the God who wove the universe together and who continues to sustain it, the One who breathed life into Adam. He is the faithful and loving God who pursued Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses and continually affirmed His covenant with them.
Stephen testifies to this God. He also testifies to the wayward heart of man: "you always resist the Holy Spirit. Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?!" ( 7:52).
What happens next puts me in awe and brings my heart to praise and worship. Facing his accusers, Stephen sees God. This is a moment to linger and meditate on, a place to be humbled: to see the glory of GOD, to see the Son of Man glorified!
Stephen saw God. He saw the Son of Man at the right hand of God. He saw the Saviour at the right hand of the Father. He saw the One whose train fills the throne room (Isaiah 6:1), whose voice is like thunder (Exodus 19:19) and who answers from the whirlwind (Job 38:1). Even in His presence the seriphim cover their face and feet at His holiness! And as Stephen looked upon this God, he shouts: "Look I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 6:56) In the presence of God the Father there is an immediate outpouring of worship for the Saviour. With heaven opened, Stephen witnesses its apex: the Lamb of God who was slain, the crucified and resurrected Christ, God incarnate (Rev. 5:6).
For a long time my vision of what was to follow was obscured. I had a saint-like image of Stephen looking heavenward, as if divinely delivered from his final moments of suffering. In this vision lay a nagging notion: Would God really ask us to suffer?
Would He? Would God ask you to suffer? What does suffering have to do with the Christian life? Christ suffered for us; we gladly accept His gift which brings us acceptance and freedom but are we to suffer? Moreover, are we asked to suffer?
Then Jesus told his disciples, 'if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me' (Matthew 16:24).
Stephen was stoned to death. In agony he cried out for Jesus to receive his spirit (Act 7:59). Stephen suffered. He suffered as his Saviour suffered. And in his last moments of pain, his words echo the words of the One he followed, followed even unto death: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:60).
In his last moments of spirit-filled testimony and yes, in his suffering, Stephen experienced a life abandoned to Christ. Not by power of will or strength nor by merit but instead through the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit (7:55), Stephen faced death, proclaimed truth and suffered. And when Stephen finally fell asleep (death), his soul was received by his Lord Jesus Christ to forever see the glory of God.
For those who suffer, I cannot even begin to comprehend your suffering. Hold fast to His living Word which stands forever (Isaiah 40:8); He is ever-present help and He is faithful (Psalm 46:1). He promises the coming day when every tear will be wiped away by wounded hands of the One who suffered for us all (Rev.21:4). He will heal our wounds and we will finally SEE His face (22:2,4).
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