For the best results, get comfortable and have someone read this to you. Let Christ speak to your imagination, and more importantly, your heart.
Peace and grace.
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You’re standing in a valley expectantly looking up to the hills beyond you. You think to yourself, “Is he even going to come?” Waiting is the hardest part. Climbing this far into the wilderness was hard enough. Longer hikes and more difficult terrain is all that remains for this trek. Doubt starts to creep into your consciousness, and find yourself muttering, “How long do I have to wait”
There are dark clouds
in the distance and the temperature is dropping quickly. You probably should
have brought your jacket… but, while trying to pack light, the jacket just
didn’t fit in the limited back pack.
Most of the landscape is in shadow. A humid breeze gently caresses your
face but provides little comfort… The
scent of ozone in the air foreshadows imminent rain. The moisture heavy clouds move rapidly above
you and as the atmospheric landscape shifts, the sun’s rays break through gaps
in the white, blue and black masses.
You are momentarily
blinded as the sun strikes your face.
Blinking hard and shielding your eyes, you look again, straining to see
the daunting mountains.
As your
eyes focus… to your astonishment the mountain range is gone and …there
before [you is] a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And
the one who sat there has the appearance of [Red speckled stone, like
jasper and [a flesh-colored stone, like] carnelian.
A rainbow,
resembling an enormous emerald, encircle[s] the throne... 5From
the throne [comes] flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before
the throne, seven lamps blaze with searing bright light. These are the seven
spirits of God. 6Also before the throne there [is] what
[looks] like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. (REV 4:2-3, 5-6)
Shocked that you are
still standing, you finally succumb and collapse to the ground. Overhead you notice four strange beings,
which you can only classify as "creatures" and they seem to be saying
something, but the sounds are outside your audible range and undistinguishable
from the sound of roaring rapids.
Above the throne are
seraphs, angels of the highest order, each with six wings: With two wings they
cover their faces, with two they cover their feet, and with two they are flying.
3 And they are calling to one another: (Isaiah 6:2-3)
The sound is piercing
and you grab your head in pain. The four creatures begin to move farther away
and you're finally able to focus in on the words...
"Holy, holy, holy
is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:3-4)
the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:3-4)
The moment overwhelms
you and you fall down on your face in reverence. It brings to mind the words of the prophet
Isaiah and now with so much more meaning.
5 "Woe to me!" you cry. "I am ruined! For I am a being
of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have
seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5)
Suddenly you find
yourself listening to the sound of a massive crowd chanting, almost singing,
and their words flood your mind...the voices sound like a cavalcade of
percussion and instruments... it seems as though people of every language and
tribe are saying the same things in their own language... you are able to make
out some of the words in English...
"You are worthy,
our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being." (Rev 4:11)
Everything goes black,
and when you come to your senses, you find yourself on the ground in a
magnificent city some distance from the throne room. The gate behind you seems to be made out of
single pearl. A man dressed in white
smiles as he reaches down and helps you to your feet.
Then the angel [shows
you] the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.
On each side of the river stands the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of
fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the nations. (REV 22:1-2)
You slowly walk along the winding river for a time and you
soak in the words spoken to you. Sentiment
of overwhelming truth spoken through God’s Word, words and images given to you
from the Holy Spirit.
God is Holy
God is LOVE
God is Righteous
God is Merciful
God is Creator
Lost in thought you find yourself wading through the
refreshing waters of the river. The
water grows increasingly deeper and deeper until you find yourself
involuntarily floating downstream. The
water is moving so rapidly now and you’re not able to get back to shore.
You’re not afraid and, in fact, overwhelming peace and
unrelenting joy comes over you. You
remember the prophet Amos crying out…
“…let
justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
The
sentiment of the Psalmist ushers forth from your mouth as you swiftly move
through the water.
4 For the word of the LORD is right and
true;
he is faithful in all he does.
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and
justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love. (Psalm 33:4-5)
the earth is full of his unfailing love. (Psalm 33:4-5)
Suddenly
you realize the river is ending… there is a barrage of white water ahead and
then… nothing, a huge drop off. You
should be panicking, but instead you smile and start swimming toward the edge.
You
fall. Like a raindrop. You fall.
You pass through a willowy mist of cloud and continue to hurdle to the
ground.
It
seems like you fall for a long time… and then somehow you find yourself in the
same valley, looking up to the same mountains that looked so daunting.
The
rain comes, of which you realize you were a part of... It pours and pours. You just stand there smiling with your arms
raised in worship. The words of the
Apostle Paul drum subtly in your mind:
4But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made [you] alive with Christ even when
[you] were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised [you] up with Christ and
seated [you] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he
might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to
us in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4-7)
A
cacophony of sound startles you and you see water streaming down the mountain. You can make out about seven streams that
trickle down forming a large river… the river is coming towards you. Fast.
The
streams, symbolic of God’s attributes, converge and pour into your chest, first
filling up your heart, then spreading to your toes and your hands… you no
longer can distinguish between your own cells and the molecules of water. You try to breathe but you realize your lungs
are full of water, but you don’t need oxygen.
The water starts pouring out your fingertips, and then gushing out of
your mouth.
Finally,
the waters subside. The rain fades
away. The sun breaks out all the more
clearly, and you start moving up the trail towards the summit. You ponder the visions of the day and lift up
praises and songs of joy to the one who loves you with an unfailing love.
