Vision looks inward and becomes a duty. Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upward and becomes faith.
~Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949)
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said,”Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”
~ Acts 9:10-12
As we go down the path the He has foreordained for us to walk, even the fully surrendered believer comes to some sort of exigency of faith. It is not that we don’t believe the G_d can do whatever He wants… It is more that we hesitate to believe that He might actually make us so one with Him – and His plans – that He actually starts to give us detailed instructions to follow.
A couple Sunday mornings ago, i walked out of a grocery store with some cream for coffee. It was a beautiful, lapis-blue skied day. i glanced up and right to notice a plane taking off from the airport. i was in the Spirit that morning (He teaches us to dwell in this place, if we let Him. It is very quiet here. We are silent inside, alone with Him, uncomplicated and yielded to His ever-present presence… It is available to all. It is the way we were designed to live.) and immediately He spoke in a still small voice.
“Eternity is about to be different.”
Oh my. And His cool warm breath passed through me. And i wondered what this meant. Surely, it had to do with my upcoming trip to Jamaica. He has taught me to stay still when He speaks. It is not necessary to jump up like some puppy and whine for more treats. He is not a player of games. He will say whatever is necessary in the moment to communicate His plans and purposes. So, i simply accepted the message and stayed curious and receptive as i turned to walk back over to the Sunday school class to deliver the half-n’-half. Some worship music was playing in my headsets…
And then it happened.
“His name is Michael.”
Hard stop… The first thing that comes to mind? Well, on this side of the story, i am ashamed to admit it. But it went something like this: “Yeah right. That is just crazy Makala… now even you are taking this mystical approach a little too far!”
Thankfully, though, He is teaching me that He does – indeed – speak to us. Surely, anything that we hear can (and must) be measured against the straight-stick of His written word to us. But, direct revelation is normative in the Bible. At least 45 are said to have been spoken to directly by G_d. Of the 45, two are you, and the church.
So, i went home from church that day wondering who Michael was. As i went into my bedroom, i saw a little cross on a chain i had purchased a couple weeks earlier. It was too small for me. Just the right size for the boy.
Then, a little Bible that had been returned to me after being lost in the mountains, came to mind. Take that. He is going to need it after he accepts Jesus.
So, the next morning, i met with my spiritual adviser (an elder from my church) and spilled the beans on what had happened. i told him that i felt presumptuous. That i might actually trying to put words into G_d’s mouth. This older man just smiled. Then he asked, basically, why i would be so presumptuous as to think that G_d would not speak so clearly on such an important issue. Perhaps “Michael” was just a symbol of all the needy kids i would surely meet soon. But, he said, perhaps Michael was a child about to enter the Kingdom. And a soldier of that kingdom was simply being dispatched to deliver a message of Life, righteousness, joy, and peace in the Name of the One who is the Source of these things.
So, i packed the items in my bag and began waiting to see what He was about to do in Jamaica.
To be continued…
http://blog.ps1611.org/2013/03/michael-ii.html
Vision encompasses vast vistas outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, the expected.
~Charles R. Swindoll (1934- )
