How often do we see what the Spirit is doing in our lives, and then go on to walk right in step with Him? And in the end it is we ourselves who must be certain that truly it is God who walks beside us, and not a deceiver. For we know that we couldn’t turn to the world to support our conviction; they cannot understand the things of the Spirit. And there may be times when few, if any believers, will support the stand that we choose to take. What then? It is for this reason that we must be fully convinced that God has spoken. Whether it be to move forward, stand still, or backpedal, we must be convinced. In this we can surely believe that Jesus never failed, even as He never failed in any of His comings and goings. Do you remember the day when He received a message that His good friend Lazarus was sick? Nevertheless He remained where He was for two more days. This may have confused some who were with Him. They may have felt that He appeared cold or indifferent in light of the news. But it wasn’t that at all. It simply had to do with the statement He once made: “The Son does nothing of Himself, but only what He sees the Father doing.” On that day, as always, Jesus saw what the Father was doing. He was remaining still. He moved not from His place. However on the third day the Father arose. It was then that the Lord spoke to His disciples, saying, “Let us go to Judea again… our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” The disciples interjected that if he slept he would get well. It was then that Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”
But how was it that the Son was always aware of what the Father was doing? Was he able to follow His every move simply because he was His Son, or because he himself was divine? Divine or not, it’s written in scripture that Jesus learned obedience through the things that he suffered. I think that we believers would be fooling ourselves if we thought that obedience was all that he needed to learn. We may tell ourselves that Jesus was fully God and fully man. Though somehow I believe that our focus is much more on the God part. Our Lord was quite human also. And because he was human, he had to learn many of the things that humans have to learn. When he was a young boy he no doubt had to learn how to pray. I doubt that when he was a child that he was having some otherworldly quiet times with his heavenly Father, just because he was the Son of God. When he was a young man there must have been times when he had to learn to be patient in prayer until he sensed the presence of the Spirit. Before his life was over we can be sure that he came to know all of the difficulties familiar to the human race. Yet because of his closeness to the Father, through the Spirit, he overcame each one. Still, the closeness wasn’t a given - not for Jesus the man. He would only become intimate with the Father through the same vehicle by which all men could do so. This would be through a life of prayer. And in this he never failed.
The number one thing concerning every believer’s walk with God, is and has always been, a good healthy life of communion with Him. Everything else will stem from this. As our time in His presence goes, so will we come to know Him; as we come to know Him, so will our relationship with Him be. If the time we spend before the Lord each day is pleasing to Him in quality, quantity, and depth of communication, then He will open up to us. He will reveal much about who He is, about who we are, and how we fit into the grand scheme of things. He may even unfold mysteries, those which His beloved apostle Paul spoke of. According to what we put into our time spent before the Almighty, to this degree will we receive of Him. If it is little, we’ll be granted little in return. But if much, then the same will we reap. Not only this, but we will see what He is doing. We will see it because He chooses to reveal it. We then will know when to move and when to be still; when to cast our pearls before another and when to withhold; when to speak and when to hold our tongue. At times God will even show Himself to us on another’s path. Often this is because the one to who the path belongs cannot detect Him; the reason being that their vision is poor; their vision is poor because they do not exercise it in the moments that He calls for them to sit and behold Him. And so, He turns to His child who sees, so that they may relay a message. Unless the one whose vision is weak is among the newborn babes of the kingdom, with eyes barely opened, this would truly be a sad picture of the believer. Ideally the Lord would love to speak directly to every soul born of Him, but it cannot always be.
I am convinced that the reason so many today do not hear from God is because the quiet times of the average believer are sporadic and without a lot to say. However, to sit before Him daily, in meditation, praise, supplication, and to just speak to Him of all that’s on our mind, will be more valuable to our spirit man than we’ll ever know. Still, not only are our times before the Lord sporadic, but when we do come before Him we speak only of the big things: What ministry should I be involved in? Touch me with your healing hand. Bring salvation to my loved ones. These are definitely valid requests and I am not making light of them. Yet it is wrong to want to hear from God where it concerns only what appears to loom large. He is not always taking giant steps as He walks with us. Don’t despise the small matters - that which seems to us rather trivial, even though when the words were spoken we knew that they were His. They may be words He’ll build upon in the future. And enjoy the pleasant strolls with the Lord; savor the places of rest. Too often are we in a hurry when we come to Him. We come simply to say what we have to say, and depart. Our aim is to take four giant steps and be on our worldly way. Yet His desire for us is to sit back, settle in, and soak in His Spirit for a good long while. This done on a daily basis will change our lives, even to the overflowing of our souls.
The union that is depicted in the bible between our heavenly Father and His child is surely one of intimacy. In fact, we can safely say that no relationship that we are acquainted with in our world could be more intimate. However, the marriage union would come closest. Here we’ve been clearly shown in scripture that God takes a man and a woman and makes of the two, one. Yet in the spirit world the believer is brought into a oneness with the Triune God, thus surpassing what has been done on earth. This great mystery occurs in places far more supreme and superior to what we have come to know in the shadowy land in which we live. This oneness has not to do with the flesh but with Spirit and Truth; for it is into high places that He has called us - even into His Person.
Surely this must describe the union with God that every Christian longs for. But how is it attained? How do we ascend to those secret places on high, even as the psalmist wrote of? Salvation is free; of this there is no doubt. But all who have come to abide under His shadow, and into the secret place of the Most High God, have gotten there by no other means than by striving for it. It must be sought out diligently day after day. It is no other place but here that we will be surrounded by a fortress of angels, and where deliverance becomes our daily bread. Here is where the child of God is not moved by fears and doubts, for truly he has come to trust in the One whose wings he takes refuge under. He will witness the demise of many, though he shall be kept with strength unfailing. The one who comes to the secret place will never fall prey to evil, but instead he has thrust the darkness beneath him. Valiant is he in the warfare to which he has been called, and victory is his strong drink; he masters the sword and the shield. Truly he has been set on high, for he has drawn near to his God; he calls to Him and the answer is without delay. Forever he is shown the wonders of His salvation, even unto life everlasting.
He who has come to dwell in the secret place of the Most High is also the one who lives life abundantly, just as our Savior once stated. His hope for the future is forever bright, while faith soars to worlds unknown. Lastly, it’s the attribute most exalted that the Father sets upon his head - the golden crown of love. And it makes the man a king.
No doubt it is difficult for many to believe that such a life can belong to one who is earthbound. Nevertheless the writer of the 91st Psalm declared it so. Not only this, but he in no way suggests that the high places are restricted to spiritual giants or perfect Christians, of which we know they do not exist. Our God loves the common folk. It is the common and humble people of the earth who have set their vision on Him, that He desires to lead to the secret places. Still, all of it depends on us. In actuality it takes nothing more than a strong union with Him, which comes from a life of unbroken communion; to press in until we have found our place in the Son; to turn from this world and raise our vision to the heavens. From all this will grow intimacy, through which will sprout faith and love. And these will ever flourish in accordance with the life that has been set apart to Him.
How He longs to reveal to His children the things that He has ordained - even the deep things. But He cannot. We come and go too quickly from before His presence; and so He speaks little to us. But for all who linger there, that they may know Him - for these He unveils hidden treasure, and they themselves are hidden on high. It is in those high and holy places that they’ve become abandoned to their God. And there do they always perceive the things that the Father is doing.
-J. Pecoraro
