DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR . . .
Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see . . .
Do you see what I see?
Have you ever perceived His presence beyond what your physical eyes can see?For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made . . .i
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree ii
Do you hear His voice above the tree?
He is the sole expression of the glory of God . . . upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power.iii
Many years ago, I experienced these very things. I was heading to my cabin in the North woods. That particular trip I strongly sensed that God had something special for me. As we drove, I found myself looking out the window, as if trying to see what I was sensing.
When we arrived, I stood outside the car. I looked up to the top of the trees. There I perceived the presence of God high above the trees.
At first, I thought it must just be the peace and tranquility of the woods. Then I realized that could not be, I was standing next to a busy highway! That began a very special week indeed.
One the following days, as I walked and prayed, I had another such encounter. Again, I perceived a presence, this time in front of me. My discernment was that it was not demonic or angelic, but the Holy Spirit. I believe that if I had not stopped, I would likely have ended up on the ground.
The result of the encounter changed my long held impression of the Holy Spirit as a warm fuzzy teddy bear like comforter.
What I sensed was power, immense power, and then it was gone. I questioned, why such an appearance? A prophet explained to me that God does such things to establish the source of His power, lest our flesh be tempted to take credit. With the lack of a better explanation, it made sense to me.There is a song entitled Open the Eyes of My Heart. Your spirit has many of the same functions as your soul. The faculty of sight is one of those functions. It is not a physical seeing, but a perceiving in the realm of the spirit.
My love for the North woods isn’t an inordinate love of nature. It is a love of His presence, which is so tangible to me there.
The enemy has made his presence known in those beautiful woods as well. One trip, as I battled in prayer, the enemy assaulted my mind with doubt. I went outside. I looked at the trees and spoke these words — “God, if you are not present, these trees mean nothing. If your presence is not tangible, there is nothing left for me on earth.”
At that moment, nothing in the world held any appeal. If God was not real and present to me, everything was loss. His presence is real and I overcame the enemy.
Do you hear what I hear?
God’s desire to commune with us is greater than our desire for Him.
The best New Year's resolution to make and keep —
a resolve to seek Him in greater measure.
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to https://www.midwayministries.com/
[i] Romans 1:20 Amp
[ii] Do You Hear What I Hear, lyrics by Noel Regney, music by Gloria Shayne Baker
[iii] Hebrews 1:3 Amp
Categories: Discernment
Tags: thinking spiritually spiritual war
Great post Barbara! I have had encounters that I knew were God's Holy presence. I love that song "Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord" - watching for Him "High and Lifted Up" as Isaiah beheld Him in all His Glory.
Communing with nature always makes me feel closer to our Creator. I envy your time in the woods alone. Someday I hope to get away alone for a personal retreat.
Thanks for such an encouraging post for the new year. I'm looking forward to a deeper walk with my Lord.
Visit my Christmas post at http://bit.ly/ugag5c . Blessings
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