Hi Friends,  

I hope you are all well.  God is good and he is faithful.  I received a three piece vision over the course of three days.  I am so touched, how God loves us. The last piece of the vision came after I experienced one of those disappointments that come in life.  The Lord is tender and shows us his love in so many ways. I am truly grateful for his love for all of us!

The vision is really for the church and all believers, however, if you are reading, and are not quite sure who the Lord is, I hope you will see by the end, that God is a God of mercy, and love.  He wants to meet with each of us in a very real and tangible way. God is not remote. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

The Door in the Mountain

First I see a light coming from a partially opened door.  The door is bowed towards the outside as if someone was pulling on the handle.  Doors made of wood, of course would be latched at the handle, and would never bend or bow.  As I looked more carefully, I saw that the door was attached to a soft material, like that of an air-supported sports dome.  This facade with the door was further encased in the side of a mountain.

The light coming through the partially opened door was golden, warm and soft.  It was inviting. I looked at the door, and thought, “Someone must have wanted to see inside, and tired to pry or pull the door open.”  

As I thought about this vision, I remembered a vision the Lord had given me about 20 years ago.  I was swimming in a pool. Everything around me was white and misty, very ethereal. The pool was like a beach where the water comes up to meet at ground level.  I was swimming and enjoying the water. To my right, I saw a warm light coming up from a set of stairs that led to a door, well below water level. As I looked at the light and the set of stairs, I said to myself, “Oh, that must be Jesus’ tomb.”  I turned around in the water to look behind me towards the shore, and saw a line of young men, perhaps 8 to 10, walking carefully at the water’s edge, just getting a bit wet. Then from the left, I saw my oldest son, diving into the pool. He was not timid like the others, but dove in.  

I knew by this God was telling me not to worry about my son Dan, for when he’s ready to serve the Lord, he will not be timid, but will dive in, and give himself wholeheartedly to the Lord.

In the current vision, the light coming from inside the interior of the mountain, represents the Lord’s presence.  The mountain is the Lord’s holy mountain. Do you remember when Moses longed to see God? “Then the Lord said, ”There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.  When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”  Exodus 33:21-23

We as believers, long for the presence of the Lord.  The Lord wants us to know him, to be intimate with him, to know his very heart.  Through prayer, he reveals himself to us.  As we continue seeking his presence, the door opens wider.   As our hunger grows for more of him, we spend more time in prayer.  We draw closer to experience him, to hear his voice and he draws close to us.

The morning I received this vision, I was in prayer at church.  I asked God, is there something you want us to know?  He gave me this vision of the door in the mountain, and then moments later, he gave me the second piece.

A Salad

I saw a large bowl of salad greens.  Nothing else - just greens - no veggies, nothing special to make the salad extra tasty.   But there is a message in the salad.

How do we go deeper with the Lord?  Is there something keeping the door to the presence of God from opening fully?  What do we need to know?

The answer is very simple - it’s in the plainness of the salad.  The Lord would say to us, “Get back to the basics.”

And what are the basics?  The first things that come to mind are:  worship in spirit and in truth, pray without ceasing, and fast.

Jesus might answer the question about basics with:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind….. And love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:38-39

He might answer with this: “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to me so therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  Matthew 28:19-20

He may answer as he did with the church in Ephesus:  “You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.” Revelations 2:4-5

Have we forsaken our first  love for him? This is a personal matter, and only you know your own heart.  But our love deepens and grows stronger as we spend more time with him. As you read this, God may have already shown you what is the basic thing to which you must return.

Pray and God will give you insight.

The Secret

This last vision, God gave to me Tuesday morning this week.  I was told by a leader that they did not want me to be part of their ministry because I did not belong to their church.  I had been asked to join this ministry and intended to do so, for several years, but I could never clear my Tuesday nights of commitments.  So finally, I was able to free up my Tuesdays, to join them.  I had been invited by two people, and I had prayed about the ministry, so I was very disappointed, and felt rejected.   I went to prayer, for something seemed to have gone wrong - I knew that I had received God’s confirmation to free up Tuesdays for this purpose.    

As I prayed, God gave me this vision:

I saw a man, average in height, wearing glasses.  He just stood before me, looking directly at me. Then he leaned forward and cupped his hand next to his mouth and whispered into my ear.  I didn’t hear what he said, but the vision ended and I knew he had come to give me comfort.

I believe the Lord wanted me to know, that in my disappointments, this one, and yet another disappointment only a few days earlier,  that it was all right.   I knew that the Lord loved me, and that I should not worry about these events, and the people who brought them about.  He wanted me to treasure my relationship with him, and receive comfort from knowing him, and knowing that he shares his secrets with me!

How sweet, how precious, how wonderful is the Lord.  He knows how to comfort us!  And that is what he teaches us to do for each other.

“Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Jesus told us that life was not a bed of roses.  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

That’s it.  We may experience trouble in our families and in our churches, from our neighbors and in our workplaces.  But no matter what, when we have the Lord, we can have peace.

Paul, the apostle, had a hard life, filled with persecution, pain, and betrayal.  Yet he learned something that is key to living a life for the Lord.  “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:11-13

If you are going through a trial, or difficult situation, just know that Jesus is always the answer.  He doesn't always answer in the way we want, but none the less he is there and will hold our hand through these times.  These trials are there to test us, and to help us conform to the image of God.  Remember what James said, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:2-4

If you do not have a prayer partner.  Please find one.  We are not meant to do life alone.  We are to share each other's burdens.  God bless you!