Waiting in the Wings

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

Tag: Scripture: Exodus

No Longer Slaves

“Join Forces” – by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Exodus 12:41 (NKJV) And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

There comes a point in our spiritual journey where God calls us to shift how we see our relationship with Him and how we see ourselves. So often we may find ourselves focusing on God as our refuge and our deliverer. And indeed, He is all that and more to us; He has delivered us out of bondage with a mighty hand. And yet, an amazing truth is that God delivered so that we might join forces with Him. We are no longer slaves, instead, we have been called to stand by the side of our King as a mighty army.

When the children of Israel were leaving the bondage of Egypt, Scripture refers to them as “the armies of the LORD.” With the Heavenly King mounting such an elaborate rescue, it’s difficult to think of this band of slaves as an army. And yet, if we follow their wilderness sojourns, we can see that the Israelites were definitely struggling to accept that they were God’s mighty warriors. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they refused the call to join their King and battle for the land of Israel. 

Yet it was Joshua and his generation who were able to grab ahold of God’s vision and walk in it. When they considered the battles for the Promised Land that were ahead, they understood that the Presence of the King—along with His heavenly hosts—would be going with them, to fight for them. This is also the shift in perspective that we must make. We too must cross over from a mindset of oppression and weakness and rise up as the army we were created to be. However, our “military might” isn’t found in the strength of our flesh. For the just live—and fight—by faith and faith alone.

Joshua 6,9 (VOICE) So be strong and courageous, for you will lead this people as they acquire and then divide the land I promised to their ancestors…. This is My command: be strong and courageous. Never be afraid or discouraged because I am your God, the Eternal One, and I will remain with you wherever you go. 

Reign of the Eternal

 

“Forever Bloom” – by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

1 John 4:13 (VOICE) How can we be sure that He truly lives in us and that we truly live in Him? By one fact: He has given us His Spirit.

In a vision, I saw the Father shaking a sunflower over His child. Water droplets fell from the sunflower and upon the childlike rain. I sensed that the essence of the sunflower was transferred into the water. Therefore, it was clear that the essence of the sunflower would saturate the child that the Father was sprinkling.

Symbolically, sunflowers allude to “son-flowers,” those who are growing up into fullness in the Spirit of Christ. In my vision, the sunflower in the Father’s hand was symbolic of Christ, His firstborn son. Christ is God’s chosen mediator of the new covenant. Those who are in Christ have been sprinkled with his blood, the blood of the covenant (Exodus 24:8, Hebrews 12:22-24). The blood of Christ brings absolutely atonement—or, one could say, it brings at-one-ment; it unites us forever with God. Yet the covenant also gives us access to the outpouring of Christ’s Spirit (which is often symbolized as rain or oil). The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of unity with the Creator, the very force that connects us to God.

The vision of the sunflower immediately reminded me of a pun that God often speaks over me, “I’m going to rain on your head.” It is a line from a movie, but when He says it, it is layered with spiritual life, significance, and a fiery love. It doubles in meaning as, “I’m going to reign on your head.” When God speaks this phrase over me, He is calling to mind the irrevocable words of His covenant and reminding me of my eternal bond to Him.

Rain held great importance during biblical times. As an agriculture society, they were very aware that their lives depended upon God sending the rain in its due season—the former and latter rains that would water the land. Rain was a sign of the blessings of the covenant, a provision in the marriage agreement between God and Israel. As Israel remained faithful to the covenant, God’s covenant blessings would flow to sustain them.

With the coming of Christ, the outpouring of the Spirit was connected to the “former and latter rains.” I can say without a doubt how essential the rain—or reign of the Holy Spirit has been in my life. The Holy Spirit waters my soul with words of truth from the lips of my savior. Through the Spirit, Christ reminds me that I am His and He is mine. Regardless of whether I feel connected to Him or not at any given moment, He isn’t going anywhere.  I’m never lost, even if I may momentarily feel that way in the chaos of life. God’s covenant promises to me are rock solid. 

Even more, because I follow Christ and obey His voice, the blessings of the covenant are ever flowing to sustain me. When I dig deep into the Spirit, do not lack anything that I need. I am completely saturated in the love, character, and dynamis power of Christ. He is infused into my DNA! As Christ renews my mind, my ways and my thoughts are transformed until they reflect His. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 2:16, I have the very mind of Christ.  

So when God is reminding me that He is raining or reign upon me, truly it means that, as I embrace the rule of His Spirit in my life, He truly is reigning through me. Like a sunflower that soaks up the sun and the rain, God’s Word and God’s way holds everything I need to navigate this world. My greatest desire is to yield to the Spirit in my everyday life and allow Him to work His will through me—on earth as it is in heaven.

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (NKJV) ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

Psalm 133:1-3 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Resting Place

Hebrews 4:1 (TPT) Now God has offered to us the same promise of entering into his realm of resting in confident faith. So we must be extremely careful to ensure that we all embrace the fullness of that promise and not fail to experience it.

Beloved, let Me be your resting place. No longer need you be weary and heavy laden, working for that which has already been purchased for you. Instead, come to Me and learn how to be at home in My Spirit. For I have created you that you might abide in Me and I in you. Just as an earthly husband and wife find a mutual sense of belonging and security with one another, so you too can find an even deeper level of belonging and security in your union with Me.

Resist the urge to try to earn your way into My Presence for your place in Me has already been assured. Cease from striving, and instead, learn how to just be in Me. While works through the law once had its place and served a purpose in the plan of redemption, remember that righteousness by My Spirit has now come to bring about perfection. Therefore, partner with Me by simply letting go. Allow My Spirit to strengthen, empower, and undergird you. Let My wisdom, counsel, knowledge, and understanding be as your own. No longer need you rely on your own resources anymore; I Am your life and I desire you to have that life in full abundance.

Just as the dove was sent from the ark to find a resting place, know that the dove of My Spirit will alight and remain upon you when you are in a place of rest in your soul. Trust Me and trust the anointing that abides within you. Know that you are no longer alone and wandering in this world. The light of My Presence is always with you and indeed, it is here to bring you into your rest.

Exodus 33:14 (NKJV) And He said, “My Presence will go [with you], and I will give you rest.”

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