When I look back on my journey through life, it’s encouraging to see that there’s not only emotional and physical growth, but also spiritual growth. It’s as if I’ve travelled to a higher place. As I was reading Isaiah 55:8 this week, I was reminded of my travels and the unexpected treasures that I found along my path.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8
As I read this verse, I felt a deep desire to run after the Lord and a yearning to jump into His lap and see what He is seeing. I yearned for His ways to become my ways, producing a type of fruit that could change the world. I began to cry out to the Lord and He reminded me of a time, 21 years ago, when my reaction to this verse was quite different than the one today.
After my father-in-law’s passing, one of my friends sent me a sweet note that included this Isaiah scripture. As I read her note, I was comforted by her love for me but it was my reaction to Isaiah 55 that surprised me. This verse came as a rebuke, causing great offense and even anger in me. As I read that same verse so many years later, I see His words as an intimate call to a higher place, so that I can see what He sees. It’s as if it’s a holy invitation to partner with God in bringing Heaven to earth.
I pondered my reaction to that same verse all those years ago, feeling the pain and loss all over again, and asked the Lord to show me what had changed in my heart over the years. The Lord was quick to answer, “You cannot go any higher than your beliefs will allow you to go.” Wow! Looking back, I can see this now—my own beliefs of God had hindered me from seeing anything but my circumstances, and the truth was nowhere in sight.
Our beliefs about God and our own identify often get in the way of us seeing as He does. Over the last 21 years, my journey has led me through many valleys and many mountain tops. It’s during both of the high and low points, that I have learned how important it is to know who I am and who my God is.
I must know that Jesus is the exact representation of my good and perfect Father.
I must know that I am His beautiful child who has received the Lord’s inheritance.
I must know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
I must know that Jesus provides me everything I need to step into my grand destiny.
When I truly know and understand all of these things, it is only then that I can step into His thoughts and His ways and experience a deep loving relationship with Him. That is, after all, the deepest desire of Jesus’ heart – to have a relationship with me.
My son recently got married which sent me on a search for the perfect mother of the groom dress. There were so many beautiful dresses to choose from with price tags ranging from moderate to exorbitant. Many times I couldn’t tell the difference between the extravagantly priced dresses and the modestly priced dresses except for the name on the label. I thought to myself, “if I could carry that name, I could design anything and it would sell itself” The Holy Spirit quickly responded, “you carry the name of JESUS.” I was once again reminded and convicted of this truth—if I know who I am and whose I am, I actually can do all things through Him whose name I belong.
God is calling all of us to bring Heaven to Earth and to partner with Him in establishing His Kingdom here on earth. We must be able to rise up and partner with His thoughts and see through His lenses which will allow us to see His prospective.
I want to always be in this higher place, experiencing more and more of Jesus, and seeing what He sees and doing what He does. In order for this to happen, I must continue to surrender the hidden places in my heart to God and allow my mind to be renewed so that my identity is firmly planted in Him and Him alone. Much of my journey thus far has been about Jesus revealing to me that I am beautifully and wonderfully made. He continually reminds me that I’ve been uniquely designed in my Father’s image, giving me access to an intimacy with Him, which then empowers me to partner with Him to bring Heaven to Earth.
On my journey, I’ve asked the Lord many questions and often times He has responded with visions and stories. It was through my own deep soul searching to find the meaning of these visions and stories, that Ied me to a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father. It is in this sweet, deeper relationship, that I find the courage and strength to not only continue on the journey, but to write down these stories, visions, and revelations.
