Among the Lampstands

Among the lampstands... - Revelation 1:13

O Jesus, You walk in the midst of the lampstands. Whenever we are gathered - 2 or 3 in Your name - You are there. That is Your promise. You never forsake our gathering. Much of the time this truth lies beyond my awareness, but oh, how You infuse me with confidence when I remember! I don't sing to the air. I look right at You and sing right to You because You are here! 

When I have eyes to see this reality, it's like the Garden again. I can walk with God as You walk among us. It's like the Garden again - face to face, heart to heart. You, O God, are with me!

This is not a wish or a pipe dream but reality. It is not a mirage - something too good to be true that haunts my heart's aspirations. This is the true state of things if only I have eyes to see beyond what is seen.

How greatly You show love in that You come. You always come. The chorus as I'm writing this today in the Prayer Room is "Such love, so wholly other than! My heart it overflows! My heart it overflows!" Your presence among us is Your commitment to us. It is a statement of Your heart. Surely You are able to keep us and preserve us to the end.
Your presence is my aim. Your presence is my hope. Your presence is my joy, peace, and support. And I know that my calling out to You, the desiring of my heart for Your presence, is more than alluring to You. I need not manipulate You (as if I could anyway!) to come. You are always there. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Isn't that Your promise, too? 

So this heart does overflow today at the thought of Your faithfulness and Your nearness. Who is a God like You? Surely there is no one. Closer than a brother, You are. I bless You for your willingness, Your heart's desire to be numbered among us!

Voice Like a Trumpet

“On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.” - Revelation 1:10 TNIV

For a time, Jesus, You existed on this earth as a mere baby, just a speechless child, totally dependent upon Your mom and dad for everything - sustenance, clothing, warmth, shelter, and safety. You were an ordinary cooing and crying baby, but You were, oh, so uncommon!

I wonder, in all Your earthly days, if You ever yelled other than when You responded in righteous indignation toward the self-righteous religious men and when You let out a cry in agonizing pain on the Cross. Your disciples had surely never heard You raise Your voice as is common for ordinary men.

How shocking it must have been - especially to a prisoner's ears - to hear a voice as loud as a trumpet, resounding! You are the Living Word, Jesus. You are the One from everlasting who spoke creation into existence. You are the Word of God - spoken. You still speak and hold all things together. You speak and things happen. You speak and demons flee. You speak and angels do Your bidding. Your thunderous voice fills the heavens. Your voice imparts grace, strength, fear of the Lord, freedom, knowledge of God, revelation, and more. 

So there on Patmos - by the Word of God - Your voice trumpeted and released and announced the revelation of Jesus Christ. You revealed Yourself by appearing but also by the Words that You spoke...and You are still speaking. You speak to me in that still, small voice. Can my frame sustain the reverberation of Your trumpeting sound? John knew You best, and he fell like a dead man!

I ask for it all! However You will come, come. However You want to speak, speak! I know that this voice of Yours changes everything. The waves of Your sound penetrate to the very core of my being, and I am changed from the inside out. Yes, I could (and at times do) choose to ignore that voice, but oh, how it haunts and taunts me when I do! You will not relent. Your voice spoke creation into existence, and Your desire is to keep speaking to me until every thought, word, and deed are alight and aligned with new creation.
So speak, beautiful Man, speak. I am listening.