Looking to the Hills - Guided Imagery

I created this guided imagery document in 2010 for a Christian community known as "Apprenticeship to Jesus" in Phoenix AZ. We were studying the attributes of God over a month. As a grand finale, I created this story using passages we had studied during the month. 

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.

--------------

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 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!

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.

 ⁵ The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
       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.