Prayer for Divine Guidance

Heavenly Father, I ask that your Holy Spirit bless and enlighten me as I read, reflect and rest in the boundless riches of salvation that Christ Jesus has won! Abba Father, draw me closer into the Divine Dance with You, Your Son, and Holy Spirit to continually transform my life here on earth to taste life with You in Heaven! Amen.

Reflection

Do you ever pause to notice the fingerprints God leaves on your day? Do you take time to wonder at His glory shining through a sunrise, the shimmer of a hummingbird, intricacies of your eye, and giggle of a little child? It is all so wondrous as “the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). G. K. Chesterton was spot on: “The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.” (G. K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles) God is near and He is far, immanent and yet transcendent in the smallest details of our lives, as well as in galaxies hurled across light years. We can meditate on God’s ways and be in awe, yet always knowing that there is more glory, more wonder, and more meaning than we can ever grasp.

For instance, ponder the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossian Christians and see a man awestruck by God’s love poured out for us in Christ Jesus. Paul calls it “mystery”, not as a riddle to be solved but as transcending human wisdom. Paul knows that we can never wrap our heads around God’s redeeming purpose revealed in Christ Jesus. It is sheer mystery that prophets longed to look into and that Paul was sent to proclaim:

“I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:25-27

Paul draws back the veil on God’s mystery, telling of his commission to announce God’s eternal purpose to bring us into the Dance of the Trinity through Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not just that Christ is for us, but that Christ is in us; with Christ we look forward to sharing in His eternal glory. The inscrutable mystery of “Christ in you” means that we are not on the outside looking in, but that we are sharing with Christ in His relationship with His Father.

Practically, “Christ in you” means living life saying, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). It means that we are never alone facing financial struggle, disease, grief, and failure. We are not defined by our past, our sins, our regrets or accomplishments, but by our oneness with Christ who lives within. We can take on life confident that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

But there is still more! Paul reveals that Christ in us is “the hope of glory”. Christ’s presence within is our guarantee of future glory, as it is Christ Himself who is that glory. “The hope of glory is not that we will one day reach heaven, but that Christ is in us today, making heaven a present reality in our souls.” (Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ) One day we will see for ourselves that it is not streets of gold, mansions, and crowns, or even reunion with loved ones that will be heaven; seeing Jesus face-to-face will be heaven’s glory! Heaven is not a place, but a Person: Jesus!

Read Paul’s letters and sermons and note that he never says “I can’t wait to go to heaven,” but “I can’t wait to see Jesus!”

• “My desire is to depart and be with Christ.” (Philippians 1:23)
• “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
• “So we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Can you imagine! The glory of Jesus that “now we see in a mirror, dimly…we will see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Incomprehensible! Unfathomable! Glory! We will see Jesus!

“When by the gift of His infinite grace, I am accorded in heaven a place, just to be there and to look at His face will through the ages be glory for me.” (Charles Gabriel, “That Will Be Glory”)