One morning a couple weeks ago I was praying up in the playroom. It was very early and no one else was up yet. I felt God pulling on me to spend my time with Him up there instead of our usual spot in the living room.
I read a Psalm, prayed, and quietly worshiped Him. It went quickly, so I checked with Him before I left. “Is there something else you want me to do up here? Is there something you want to show me?”
Just like that with no warning I had a vision. It was very different from visions I have had before that are like a quick flash in my mind. This one was still in my mind, but it was no flash. It went on and on.
In this vision everything around me in the playroom and everything in the entire world was hurtling forward toward something. I could see the lines of this movement shooting forward at such a great speed and force that it shocked me. I felt God say, “We are headed where we are headed,” and knew that He was totally in control of time and direction, and that He was the propelling force.
Then I noticed my posture in the vision. I was tumbling back from the speed of this movement. It was like in a cartoon when someone pulls the rug out from under you. My arms were flailing and my feet kicking over my head, less like a competitor in the World Cup and more like someone who forgot to buckle into a roller coaster.
Then I asked God, “Do I have to be like that? Totally out of control and flailing?” In the vision I gained my balance and rotated forward till my feet were planted firmly on the ground. Better. Then I crouched down and leaned forward like I was about to run. Boom, I took off running in the same direction that everything was hurtling toward. I was now participating and moving in the right direction.
Visions are complicated and the language of Heaven is something to be translated by God, so I have learned to ask Him questions. “How do I do that? How do I right myself and run toward what you are moving us toward?” His answer came as another vision that was a simple flash. Me reading my Bible, praying, and worshiping.
I knew immediately that this was what was required of me. Continue to seek God and know Him through His Word, His presence, and a real relationship. Fill up with truth and draw near to the One who is sending us wherever He is sending us. It’s simple.
He said one more thing that I think brings it all together. I felt it more than heard it.
When you get to where you are going, you can be prepared or you can be unprepared.
The message is clear and it’s not just for me. We are going where we are going and we have a choice in what we do along the way. Will we get on board with God’s plan for our individual lives, the Church, and all of creation, or will we flail?
How could we possibly be on board if we aren’t seeking Him? How could we possibly be ready for what He does next if we don’t spend time at His feet in worship, prayer, and scripture? Yes, He has other things for us to do, but if we do this first everything will fall into place.
Will we skip our time with Jesus each day? Will we read a devotional and call it good? Is Sunday enough to shape us up? Is a monthly worship night enough to feed us?
Or will we set an alarm and prioritize seeking His face and His will? Will we search the scriptures for Him and His revelation, worship Him daily, and talk with Him? Will we put Him first in all things, even our time, attention, and affections?
We are heading where we are heading. You can be prepared when we get there or you can be unprepared. Honestly knowing Him is the absolute best feeling in the world, so this direction is a delight. It may seem like a chore but that’s only because we fail to realize how much He loves and desires us. There are so many distractions and things to devote our time and effort to, but He must come first. It’s the only way. He is the only way.
Get ready. Get set. Run!
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. – 1 Corinthians 9:24
