And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

Once, while practicing contemplative prayer with a couple of friends, I saw the image of a glorious yellow flower with large petals like a tulip. Its stamens were laden with an abundance of pollen. A small bee began buzzing around its centre trying to gain a foothold. As the bee clumsily buzzed in and out and back and forth seeking to secure a footing, it became enrobed with the gold dust of the flower’s pollen.

Although the bee never managed to actually land on the flower it still succeeded in picking up great loads of pollen on the hairs of its head, antennae, body and legs. And as it flew off, perhaps giving up in defeat, it succeeded in its purpose of distributing pollen to other flowers along its way – far beyond the range of the yellow flower.

The flower and the bee were a prophetic image of myself and my friends. Like the bee struggling to land on the flower, we were trying to establish a foothold in the presence of God; to draw as close to Him as we could. Sometimes we tend to make contemplative prayer – which should be as simple as resting in the presence of God – difficult as we strive to draw near to God.

I believe God was showing me that even when we feel as though we’ve failed to enter into His presence – we become bathed in His glory just by attempting to come close to Him. And that, like the little bee, when we leave and go back out into the world we carry His glory on us, broadcasting it to everyone we come in contact with whether or not they – or we – realize it.

Like Moses – who had to put a veil over his face after being in the presence of God because the radiant glow he carried was so bright it frightened people – we too carry a noticeable radiance after spending time in His presence. I have seen this glorious radiance on the faces of people who pray regularly and spend time seeking God’s presence. I used to call it a “grace face” because I didn’t know what it was at first but I sensed that these prayerful people carried a measure of grace beyond what I saw in other people of our church.

“Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim (disciples), immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the (Holy Spirit).”

Matthew 28:19 CJB