Journey With His Voice

Purpose “[They] began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 AMP) Isn’t that the cry of every Christ-followers’ heart? To be recognized as one who has been with Jesus. Personalizing Scripture is one way to make our faith come alive. This means embracing, owning, and even living in verses and stories in the Bible. The mystery of the word of God being living and active (Hebrew 4:12 ESV) astonishes me. It’s almost too much for my brain to embrace, and yet His Spirit leads us even deeper to adventure, “Restoring [me] you like a cool wind on a hot day.” (Acts 3:19 AMP) I encourage you to journey with His Voice. Let’s begin by taking a deep breath and listening for His whisper, “You are loved.” His heart of love overflows for each of us. Take a moment to imagine He has more for you. Adventure with me. Is it possible to sense His essence in a new, fresh way by imagining the look in His eyes and the tender, strong tone of His voice as we enter into the stories where He heals the blind, forgives sins, feeds five thousand, and conquers death? “Come, come to My heart, Remember the ocean and the waterfall. My love is deep, wide, continually flowing. Remember you gave me your burdens. Trust, rest, seek Me. Nestle yourself close to My heart. Do not fear the adventure or the journey, for I am leading you and My heart for you is good.” (Journey to His Heart) Stop to ask yourself, “Do I believe His heart for me is good? Do I really? Deep down? Nestled in His heart is where I want to be, yet I resist, why?” “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1 NIV) She (the main character, which could be YOU or ME) wanted to dwell. She had been on the Journey to His Heart through the cave of unknowns. She adventured to the ocean to know the depth of His love. She had gone through the desert and experienced His realness. She had climbed the mountain to find the waterfall with Him. She learned to sit in the green grass with Jesus, to embrace and give forgiveness. She had traveled the road to the real, the everyday. Yet, she wanted to live in the adventure with Him in the day to day. She wanted more than just a verse to own. She wanted to know more of Jesus. “The visible image of an invisible God.” “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15 NLT) She considered, “How can I dwell with God? How can I deeply know God? If I am to be His reflection, I must study Him in a new way. I must encounter Jesus, the Jesus of the Scripture. What do I know about God? He is safe, He is all-knowing, He is all-powerful, He is always good, He forgives continually, His essence is love.” Reflection: I will use the term “nestled in His heart” throughout this book. I think of a child nestled in the arms of their parents or a newborn held close to his mother’s heart. When I reflect on God’s great love, I am reminded that I am His and He is mine. This mysterious place quenches every longing with the cascading waters of His heart. Here my weariness is soothed, my bitterness transformed to grace, my hunger quenched, my soul refreshed. In The Furious Longing of God, Brennan Manning states, “If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who have lived in the course of human history, all their goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength, and love and united all those qualities in a single person, that person’s love would only be a faint shadow of the furious love and mercy in the heart of God the Father addressed to you and me at this moment.” Yes, to be fully loved, fully known, fully me. In the safety of His arms, I face my reflection through His eyes of compassion. Here, anger at what I am not is replaced with His tenderness and compassion. The mirror transforms as I now see His reflection. He is changing me, the broken, messy, and hidden, all turned into His masterpiece. Nestled in His heart, vulnerability becomes safe, my reflection is captured by His love, and I am able to see myself and my world through His lens of compassion, love, and grace. Living, breathing, and existing nestled in His heart, regardless of what life throws at me, this is real life. This is the place where my heart is full. The Real: At times, letting go of our own control and living nestled in His heart feels too vulnerable, too good to be true, or too mystical. Am I imagining that I can stay here, nestled in His heart? Is this where He really wants me? Not doing, working, or serving—but resting, listening to His heartbeat, wrapped in the safety of His arms. Yes! This is real life, life that fills the core of my soul, life that captures me, transforms me, filling me with a perfect peaceableness. Real life is found here and I am rescued from myself—my self-sufficient, stubborn, selfish, success-seeking self. Here I am. Fully known and fully loved. Join me on this adventure. You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t know how to get there!” Here is a daily prayer that invites the Spirit to lead your time with Jesus. Praising God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is a powerful mystery. Continually praising God makes us aware of His power. “...Praising God continually and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:47 AMP)