I had a wonderful quiet time with Jesus this morning. It wasn’t too quiet.
Usually I try to be silent in the morning, but today was different. With all the talk of COVID-19, economic disaster, and world hunger swirling in my head, I woke up afraid. What is the antidote to fear? Faith! When I went to google to look up verses on fear, (Tip: google is the best search engine for Bible verses! It usually finds those that you just know are in there somewhere but haven’t a clue where or in what version.) I was led to worship songs. After singing along a few times to “No Longer Slaves” by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser, I noticed another song written by the duo, “Raise A Hallelujah.”
In the version I initially listened to, Jonathan explained the inspiration for the song. When he received news that a young boy he and many others had been praying for might not make it through the night, he began to feel defeated, as if God wouldn’t answer their prayers to save the two-year-old’s life. He felt as if he was standing in front of a Giant of Fear as David had stood before Goliath. He decided to praise God for deliverance from the enemy and to hand to giant’s head back to him as David did, severed by the same weapon the tyrant had meant for destruction! It as out of that situation that this beautiful, faith-filled song was born.
Hearing the story and listening to the song, I was transported into deep worship! I could almost see Jesus sitting on a Throne of Light!
When my mother died, I was totally adrift. While all my Christian friends offered Scriptures to comfort me, they bounced off my wounded spirit. It was not until the Holy Spirit came and made sense of it for me that I was able to realize that mom was in Heaven and I was in Texas. I didn’t feel like a motherless child when she was in Oklahoma and I was in Texas. I knew it was just a matter of time until we were together again. Revelation. Peace.
This visitation was a similar situation. You and I can read those Scriptures about fearing not, and having faith, but when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances, when we face A Giant of Fear, Holy Spirit must come and make sense of it. A friend has a plaque that says, “Sometimes God calms the storm, sometimes He calms the child in the storm.” The coronavirus storm still rages. The child is calm.
In my mind’s eye, I saw the light emanating from Jesus into the whole world. As the light spread, so did healing. As I thought about that image, I did some research about the healing properties of light. Science confirms that light has many medical applications. It has a broad spectrum of visible and invisible rays, each with its own uses. Interestingly, the most powerful rays are the ones invisible to the eye. Light can lift spirits, heal wounds, kill viruses and other pathogens, focused light such as lasers, can restore sight and remove tumors. As the Light of the World, my Savior, can do all these things and more.
I know I can’t just tell you, “Have an encounter with Jesus! It’ll change everything!” Of course it will, but saying that is no more helpful than my friends’ counsel after I lost my mom. Those touches seem to come randomly and out of the blue–“The wind blows wherever it pleases” (John 3:8 NIV). I can tell you this, however, they’ve always come for me as a result of turning my thoughts and attention to Him. If you are hungry for a touch from Christ, start there.
“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” – Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
Cool Like Christ 