right side.
The Hebrews passage flashed into my mind: “Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God.”^4
Wow. Here was a rare case where I had tested Colton’s memories
against what the Bible says, and he passed without batting an eye. But
now I had another question, one I didn’t know the answer to, at least not an
answer from the Bible.
“Well, who sits on the other side of God’s throne?” I said.
“Oh, that’s easy, Dad. That’s where the angel Gabriel is. He’s really
nice.”
Gabriel. That makes sense. I remembered the story of John the Baptist
and the moment when Gabriel arrived to deliver the news of John the
Baptist’s coming birth.
But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He
will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will
be great in the sight of the Lord... .”
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my
wife is well along in years.”
The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have
been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.”^5“I stand in the presence of God,” Gabriel told Zechariah. And now, more
than two thousand years later, my little boy was telling me the same thing.
So I’d had my glimpse into God’s throne room, but Colton’s descriptions
had me wondering: if God the Father was seated on his throne with Jesus
on his right and Gabriel on his left, where was Colton?
Colton had already crawled underneath his blanket, his blond head
nestled against a Spider-Man pillowcase. “Where did you sit, Colton?” I
asked.
“They brought in a little chair for me,” he said, smiling. “I sat by God the
Holy Spirit. Did you know that God is three persons, Dad?”
“Yeah, I think I know that one,” I said and smiled.