This blog us dedicated to Eric W., one of MANY Christian men I know that God could use as a Rescuer.
ADVISEMENT: The following is from a vision. Visions are not intended to communicate physical realities. Instead, they use familiar imagery to communicate spiritual truths.
In my vision, my perspective snapped back to the shining path into a man. The man could have been me, it could have been some other guy, but since I experienced the remainder of the vision from his perspective, I will use first person to relate what I saw and heard.
Suddenly I sensed God’s Presence manifest before me on the path. He communicated to me in a series of images faster than words about what had happened. He made it clear that He wanted me to go and rescue my sister in the faith. Immediately I felt a dread at the prospect of leaving the safety and security of the shining path. God reassured me that He would invest me with a portion of His power that would sustain and protect me during this mission. He would also give me a ‘bump’ of direction that would guide me to my lost sister and then guide us back to the shining path. I bowed in humble acceptance of the mission and then God’s presence faded from my awareness.
Taking a deep breath, I plunged through the curtain to the right, the direction that God had indicated my friend had fled, and immediately I felt a sense of what direction to go. Taking another deep breath to steady myself, I began to walk in that direction, not knowing where I was going, nor how far I would need to travel.
As I walked further and further from the illuminating glow of the path, I realized that I was glowing the same sun-yellow color. It helped me to see more clearly than the starlight alone would have and reassured me of God’s provision, as I had not felt any differently when He had made the promise.
Walking without any sense of time in the eternal night, without need for food or rest, I couldn’t say how long it was before I came to the small, dark opening under the boulder that my bump of direction told was the resting place of my exhausted friend. I knelt down, in unconscious imitation of her earlier, and gently shoveled the sand away until I had uncovered her bruised body.
I spoke her name (for the story, one different than her actual name), ‘Kathy.’ But she didn’t stir. I tapped her gently on the shoulder and said her name more loudly, ‘Kathy!’ But once again, there was no response. A third time I squeezed her shoulder and shook her gently, ‘KATHY!’ As I did this, I felt a trickle of God’s power pass from my hand into her body and she began to stir. When she opened her bleary eyes, there was no light of recognition in them. Then I could see the first signs of the unreasoning panic begin to rise up and I squeezed her shoulder gently again and said, ‘Kathy, I have come to take you back.’ Once again I felt a trickle of God’s power pass from me to her through our contact and the rising panic vanished, to be replaced by a dawning recognition.
‘Let me help you out of this hole,’ I offered. I grasped one of her hands and she weakly grasped back, and then I stood up pulling her out as she feebly pushed herself up with her other hand. When she was completely back in the open, she just lay there, panting with the effort. This was my first chance to get a good look at her. I saw that her clothes were practically shredded and her body was crisscrossed with cuts and bruises. She was gaunt as though she had used up every bit of energy in her flight. I hated to urge her on in her debilitated condition, but I knew the only cure for her was to get her back to God’s path. ‘Come on, let’s go,’ I gently urged as I took an arm. Another trickle of God’s power gave her the strength to stand. I pulled that arm across my shoulders, still holding her hand, put my other arm around her waist, and we limpingly began to move off in the direction that my ‘bump’ told me was toward the glowing path, even though we were so far away that it wasn’t even a glow on the horizon.
We didn’t make it far before Kathy was just too exhausted to continue. We made ourselves comfortable on the sandy ground and I held her in my arms as she fell asleep.I must have dozed too, having no fear of harm in that lifeless landscape and confident in God’s provision of power, as her stirring woke me also. Throughout our rest, God’s power had trickled from me into her. She was noticeably more alert and I could see where the cuts and bruises had begun to heal. I glowed a little less for the loss, but I was confident there would be enough of God’s provision for us to complete the journey back.
I helped pull her to her feet, placing the arm across my shoulders again, but this time she was able to lean on me on her own. Placing my other arm loosely around her waist again, we set out at an almost normal pace.We made it much farther this time before it became obvious that she needed to rest again. Picking out a nearby boulder the right size, we leaned against it for her to rest again in my arms.
Again God’s power continued to trickle from me into her as I held her sleeping form. When her stirring brought me to full awareness also, I could tell her cuts and bruises were further healed. As I extended a hand to pull her to her feet, she was able to pull herself from the ground with her returning strength.This time she just placed her hand on my near shoulder for support as we silently continued our journey across the silent landscape.
When we next rested, then arose to continue, she barely needed my help to regain her feet. Her cuts and bruises were almost completely healed, and we only occasionaly held hands as we crossed particularly difficult sections of the barren landscape. I noticed my glow had almost completely faded away.
I spotted the telltale golden glow on the golden path below. We walked down to it side by side, then I held back and left her to approach it on her own. My job had been to bring her back to this point and sustain her with the power that God had supplied. Now it was her choice, and her choice alone, whether or not to step through the shielding curtain and resume her walk with God.
I stood to the side and a little behind, watching as her memories returned. She had started with a look of awe and wonder as we had approached the glowing wall. Now a slight smile appeared on her face and a wistful look appeared in her eyes.Would she take that last step into the loving arms of our God and Savior, or would she turn back into the desolate darkness? I waited for her decision before I took my own plunge back into the glowing light. There was nothing I could do to help her now, but stand with her until she decided and acted…
Have you ever had difficulty taking the ‘plunge’ into obedience with God? Here is a song about obeying God under difficult circumstances that I hope will strengthen your determination to obey God, no matter what.
If You Say Go (We Wait For You)Vineyard Worship(c) 2002 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing
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