Horizontal and Vertical Lines of Eternity: A David Perspective…
Theme: God’s Grace
I was reading about David one day… so, David was a man after God’s own heart. As we know from David’s story, he was also a mess. Maybe this is the reason I like David so much. I see myself in his mishaps, and I see myself in his desperation. David was a warrior and a worshipper who learned that when he was broken and in need, or when he was dancing and celebrating, he could look up and receive God’s love, grace, mercy, and support – always! It’s amazing to me how we can press into God’s Word and read about someone long ago, and God can bring the message home to us – in the midst of our everyday struggles.
When we feel down, our body posture usually matches our feelings. How often have we slumped over with our head in our hands crying, or if nothing else, sighing in defeat? I’ve done it too many times to count. I am learning, however, that if I allow myself to feel it, simultaneously entrusting my fears, pain, sin, dreams, hopes, desires, and the discomforting ambiguity of it all to God, it is then that I find the strength to carry on. I find the strength because it’s God strength, not mine, that enables me to endure.
While reading about David, I was sitting on our 15 year old couch in a broken down rental house that was infested with cockroaches and rats, feeling rather down. Based on our circumstances, I could have really had a good ol’ fashioned, meltdown which would have consisted of hunting down some chocolate and having a good ol’ puffy-eyed-cry. But I chose not to do so. Besides, oddly enough, or more so – amazingly enough, I was just sitting there, recognizing the assurance of Christ within me, feeling the physical surge of God’s presence flowing through me announcing His presence and power. And as I focused on God, not physical circumstances, I had a down right real sense of “knowing” that better days were on the horizon for my family.
Just then, I looked over at our family photo taken years earlier. My husband, Brian, was in the center with his arms stretched out across my shoulders, my daughter Faith’s shoulders, and my son Jacob’s shoulders. And right in that moment when I glanced at the photo, I saw a bright light go in a horizontal direction from Brian’s arms out across the entire family’s shoulders, past the picture and beyond. Then, it disappeared, but I could still see it in my mind’s eye – like when little kids do sparklers and you can still see the bright light after it’s gone. Then, just as quickly as that occurred, a bright vertical light came from above! It went right through Brian. Just like that it was gone, but just as quickly God showed me the intersecting point of both. Essentially, God drew a cross through Brian and across our entire family. I saw the resounding image of a bright cross that had no end to it. There was no end horizontally, and there was no end vertically!
Hallucinating? No. Delusional? No. God was showing me that His power and love are stronger than any horizontal, earthly circumstance. He reminded me that His Heavenly Power, Grace, Love, and Authority reign from on High. And it is His love that intersects and overpowers any physical circumstance that we encounter upon this earth.
Was I talking about cockroaches and rats? These things existed in the horizontal realm of circumstance. All of a sudden, I had a vertical perspective of God’s sovereign authority over me, my mess, bugs, and rodents. And all of a sudden, I wanted to run around that rental house and shout praises to God – the most High God who can and does deliver from on High!
We can endure during times of ambiguity. The journey of faith is just that – the unknown. However, we can victoriously march with purpose and passion because we know the All-Knowing God! He is sovereign over ambiguity – as far as horizontal lines travel and as long as the vertical line of eternity travels – God is and will always be – He is God!
Col 2:13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
Col 2:14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
Col 2:15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
God’s Grace-filled presence is all around.
Warrior Moms Unite!®
Love,
Kristina
The Warrior Mom Ministry was founded by Kristina Seymour, author of The Warrior Mom Handbook – Equipping Women through the Word, a Bible study for moms who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. Kristina has learned that moms can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about The Warrior Mom Handbook, the Warrior Mom Ministry, and to sign up for daily encouragement, visit, www.warriormoms.net.
Originally published Tuesday, 16 April 2013.
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