Intimacy with God
Tuesday this week, I was praying again early in the morning. This vision I received is so sweet. The Lord is calling us to come close, to become intimate with him, to know his thoughts - well at least a few of them!
This is a three part vision, that begins with a fly, or wasp. I was able to see the insect's wings in detail. I was inspecting the delicate and highly intricate design of the veins. My eyes followed the pattern of the veins, as a finger might follow tracery. At that moment, while still in the vision, I thought of the scripture about the mind of God. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord?" Romans 11:33
Next I hear a breath. There is no one around but me. But it was - it was a breath.
Then, I see two beautiful, large lollipops with colorful swirling designs on them. They are resting on top of a very large rolled up sleeping bag, standing up on its end. The lollipops and the sleeping bag are inside of a cave-like dome tent, completely open on the front.
What I believe God is showing me is this:
1. The Fly's Wings
The fly's wings captivated my attention. The intricate pattern is like tracery, which are stone pieces making beautiful delicate designs within a glass window. This was a true work of art in gothic architecture. When I tried following the pattern, with my eye, the word came to mind. "His paths beyond tracing out. Who has known the mind of God." Do you see the awesome magnitude of our God's mind? How can we begin to fathom such an idea of God?
God's desire is for us to be interested and fascinated by him and his creation. I believe that we have become numb to God's creation, because of our love and passion with electronics and all the goods and material things that money can buy. We have a disconnect with God because, our spirits are dead, insensitive. We live in large cities whose lights block out the stars that declare God's glory and existence. The creation that shouts the magnificence of the Lord and the small insignificance of man has been blocked. No more is there talk about the stars in the sky or the sand on the shore. We do not ponder eternal things because our sense of the universe is our own small world of troubles. We have become disconnected to creation and disconnected to our Lord - the Maker of all creation. We are our own pathetic gods!
Thinking of the fly once more we see that it has a ability to come seemly out of nowhere, and light without being noticed. We often hear someone exclaim, "I'd love to be a fly on the wall, and see what is going on in there!" Wouldn't we all like to be like a fly that can enter places where no one else can go, hear what is otherwise imperceptible, and see what is hidden or concealed?
Isn't it God alone, that can hear our very thoughts, and can see what is unseen? Yes, God knows all things, but he will allow our spirits to hear and see the things he wants to reveal to us. God wants us to search for these deeper hidden things. He invites us with these words: "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3
"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7
What about a word of knowledge? Isn't that information simply supplied by the Holy Spirit - just dropped into the believer's heart? Be wary though, not all messages are from God! We are to be reminded to "test the spirits!"
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God; Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1 John 4:1-3
God's desire is for all his children to hear his voice! Jesus said, "The watchman opens the gate for him (the shepherd) and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls them by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:3-5
2. The breath I heard, I believe to be the breath of God.
The breath is a sign of life. God breathed into Adam and he came to life.
God breathes life into dead things to revive them. In Ezekiel's vision, he saw a valley filled with the dry bones of those slain in a mighty battle, and was asked, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I replied, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones; I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' so I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army. Ezekiel 37:3-10
The passage in Ezekiel that follows is important. "Then he said to me: "Son of Man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ''Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'
Therefore prophesy and say to them; This is what the Sovereign Lord says; O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it. declares the Lord." Ezekiel 37:11-14
The Lord is promising his people "to open their graves and bring them up from them." He says that the people are dead and need to be revived. They were spiritually dead, just as the people around us today are dead - dead to the things of God.
Matthew records the moment that Jesus died: "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." (This temple curtain concealed the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God resided. The curtain split as a sign that it was no longer necessary for the blood of animals to make atonement for the people. By the Lord's, sacrificial blood, we can enter his presence freely!) "The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people." Matthew 27:51-53 This was a fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy that the graves would be opened and that the dead would be raised to life.
There is still another time for this prophecy to be fulfilled in the future. At the time of the Lord's second coming, Paul prophesies: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
The Lord also promised, "I will put my Spirit in you and you will live." This promise was fulfilled when Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection. "Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." John 20:21-22 The disciples were filled with the Spirit of God, and then given new life. They were born again.
Now if each of us, as I am, are born again, and filled with the Spirit, why is God sending his breath again? I believe this is a breath to empower his people and to commission them to do the work we are called to do. Jesus' opening statement was, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Jesus gave this commision, then breathed upon them, creating new life in them. But there is still a question. Jesus said, "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:49
They were to wait until they received the baptism in fire that John the Baptist spoke of. "I baptise you with water, but one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
Now the question is this, if we have been born again, filled with the Holy Spirit. and baptized into the Holy Spirit, then what is the breath for? I believe it is the promise of the revival that we have been praying for, for so long now! God has shown me over and over again, that he wants to bring revival to our nation. The breath is for all who are spiritually dead, and those that are weary and in need of the power of God in their lives. Breathe on us Lord!
3. The last part of the vision, is the sleeping bag, tent and 2 lollipops. This is the invitation by the bridegroom to his bride. The wedding tent is open, the sleeping bag and lollipops are in view. This is the place of consummation and a place of intimacy.
Why a tent? In the story of Rebekah and Isaac, Abraham had his servant promise to get a wife for his son Isaac, from among his relatives. He found Rebekah, and she consented to marry Isaac while still in the her father's house. She left her family, to go with the servant and traveled back to Isaac in Canaan. "Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?"
"He is my master," the servant answered. So She took her veil and covered herself. Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. Genesis 24:62-66
A tent is simple. There are no objects of worth, no books, no toys, no electronics, no games, puzzles, or crafts. There are no chairs, tables, or time saving appliances. It is a place where words of commitment and the marriage contract are consummated. God wants every part of us. He does not want to share us with our busy schedules, our distractions, and our long list of obligations. A consummation is a physical act with spiritual meaning. A bond is made; two become one.
Jesus is the bridegroom the church is the bride. Jesus said, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23
The sleeping bag was extra large - a double bag meant for two. There are no frills, no fancy furnishings. This shows God's heart. Believers can sometimes have divided hearts. They still love the things of the world and place those things before God. We cannot truly belong to him, unless we do away with the compromises and the distractions. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them." 1 John 2:15
The two lollipops, are like mints left on a pillow, except they last a lot longer! Yes, there is pleasure, joy, love, peace, contentment, and rest with the Lord. What could be better? A life with the Lord is worth everything!
In summary, I see that God is showing us that we need to value him, to hold him in awe. He is breathing new life into the body of believers, that we will be in unity with him and with one another. Unity is necessary to experience the revival he would love to send us. When we are one with the Lord, we experience intimacy. He begins to show us things, and shares with us his thoughts. We need to desire to be intimate with him, to spend time with him, to take pleasure in his presence. With intimacy comes the voice of the Lord, and open eyes to see what he would have us see. With intimacy comes an increase in faith and trust. With intimacy comes new life, and the manifestation of the Lord's power in prayer, and prophecy. And with intimacy, comes joy, and peace and the knowledge that we are loved with an everlasting love!
Come Lord Jesus! Breathe on us!
"Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" John 20:21-22
