The Inner Eye

 

‘I’m not much good at imagining how that little swatch of fabric will look spread all over a reupholstered chair,’ I said to Mo, who we’ve turned to for help in re-covering some old furniture.

My mom always knew exactly what sort of lamp she wanted for one of the corners of her living room, and she waited until she found it. I never know what I want until there’s a lamp there, for instance, and then I know if I like it or not.

I’d love to have a creative inner eye.

Yesterday, riding in a bus up to the Braemar Gathering, I daydreamed out the window. I’m made in God’s image: the creator God. The One who created everything out of nothing. I’m made in his image. I must have some imaginative creativity inside me … I’d love to be able to see what’s not there, as if it were.

So I prayed. Lord, help me to see what is not there. Help me to imagine how that chair will look covered in those various swatches of fabric we have chosen to consider.

We snaked our way through the purple heathers of Scotland in September, approaching Braemar, and suddenly I found myself expanding that prayer to life events – globally, individually.

Lord, help me to see what is not visible to the human eye. Help me to see what is really going on. In 2 Kings, Elisha’s servant was terrified as they were surrounded by a hostile army. Elisha asked God to open his servant’s spiritual, inner eyes. His servant then saw what Elisha did – that they were protected by God-sent horses and chariots of fire.

Lord, in these days of deep fakes, of lies from the mouths of leaders, may I discern what is really going on. Show me your power, Lord, and give me a vision of the truth.

May none of your sincere followers be duped by the enemy. May we live with eyes wide open to the truth of who you are and what you are doing in these days.

Punching through the sin that entangles

 

Stretched between the thorny spikes of the gorse in the fallow field, intricate spider webs shimmer in the morning sun, their lines picked out in overnight dewdrops. They resemble a field of trampolines, tempting the unwary flies and insects to land, and then be caught by the wily spiders.

In my mind’s eye, I see an empty wooden cross, anchored in the soil beneath but stretching, breaking through the network of sticky webs, soaring through clouds overhead into the beautiful blue of beyond.

The cross of Jesus, anchored in the

righteousness of God, punctures and perforates the sin that so easily entangles us, lifting us soaring into the heavenlies where we can sit in Jesus at the Father’s right hand.

I am so grateful that no schemes of the enemy are beyond the power of God to shred. I am so grateful for the mercy and grace of the Lord who loves his world so much that he was willing to be sacrificed for our sakes. How can I not be filled with joy and thanksgiving, even in this time of turbulence and uncertainty?

Praise to King Jesus, who died for the sins of us all.

Nothing is Wasted

 

Nothing is wasted.

The field is reduced to stubble. Round bales of straw line up like children outside a classroom, like sports fans outside a stadium, like concert-goers outside a venue. The bales all look alike, and yet each one will be unique in some way.

The crop – barley, I think – has been taken away to be used, and these straw bales are the left-overs. They will be useful to the farmer during the coming winter. Nothing is wasted.

May I, too, be a good steward of whatever I am in charge of today. Right now, it looks like my time. May I make good use of the spare minutes between one appointment and another, not scrolling mindlessly but looking up in wonder and awe at the majesty of the Almighty God.

In Him, nothing is wasted.

Re-setting the spiritual vagus nerve

 

The pop-up sauna was in a purpose-built gypsy caravan, situated in a quiet industrial landscape. Outside sat three barrels of icy water. Mhairi enthusiastically coached me to soak in the sweltering heat of the sauna for ten or so minutes, and then emerge into the open air to plunge into one of the barrels of cold water.

You have to submerge all the way to the base of your skull, she advised, because you want the icy water to reach your vagus nerve. That will have the effect of resetting your whole nervous system.

Hmm. I’m not sure I would know if my nervous system had a reset, but in fact, the experience was more pleasant than it sounds and I slept better that night than I normally do.

A week of 24/7 prayer commences in our church buildings on Monday. A team will gather on Sunday to set up the designated room with prayer stations, offering a variety of foci designed to stimulate contemplation, adoration, petition, penitence – whatever the participant needs and wants.

This is an opportunity to reset a weary spiritual system, exhausted with the ways of the world and struggling to find beauty and peace.

There is no need for coaching. Jesus invites us, ‘Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.’ Yes, we can come to him all the time wherever we are, but there is something special about going into a room set up as a trysting place to meet the lover of our souls. I anticipate that it will hit the vagus nerve of my spiritual system, so I have signed up multiple times.

I am eager and longing for that deep refreshing found only in Jesus’ presence.

Free at Last

 

I handed the box of Lego to the staff member in the self-checkout area. She pressed her device into the button securing the straps that prevent it from being opened. The straps were released and dropped off, and she handed the box back to me.

I noticed the security guard watching that I did then, indeed, pay for it.

Jesus is such a ‘device’. As I lean into Jesus, as I press my heart to his heart in submission and love, resurrection power blasts from his heart into mine and releases me into absolute freedom for all eternity.

Jesus paid the price to release me into freedom forever. At the cross, he paid the full price for my sins, even as the enemy looked on, vanquished forever.

In Jesus, all bondage breaks. The straps, the chains, fall away: the negative comments spoken over me, the destructive aggressions done to me, the perceived threats and fears for the future: all fall away as my heart aligns fully with the heart of Jesus, my Saviour.

I am set free to worship him in spirit and in truth. I am set free to walk in love and hope. I am released to live in peace and the assurance that whatever is going on right now, in the end, all is well, all manner of things shall be well.

So once again, I align my heart with my Saviour’s. Freedom!

 

Sabbath Restoration

 

Wee Joni lay on her back on the mat, kicking her legs, studying her hands in awe and amazement, learning about herself and her world. I leaned in, delighted to be with her again: I hadn’t seen my youngest grandchild for awhile and as babies do, she had changed massively.

As I chatted quietly to her, her bright eyes fixed on my face and her face became a smile of joy and delight. She cooed quietly, noises new to her coming from her larynx, almost surprising her. Joy rose within me.

As I gazed in delight at Joni, she gazed back in delight at me.

Our heavenly Father tells us that we need to build a sabbath pause into our week, not for his benefit, but for ours. As we rest in his presence, as we lie back and gaze into his face, we plug ourselves into the source of light and love and life and laughter and are renewed and refreshed and restored.

Like Joni gazing up into my face, we can delight in the Lord and he will renew our strength. And like me gazing into the face of this precious granddaughter, the Father delights in us.

May I totally embrace this truth and live it more fully in the rhythms of my weeks. This is what I want to do with my one precious life: I want to be fully surrendered to the Father so that his image shines his healing light into this dark and hurting world. Help me, Lord, to live in constant communion with you today and always.

 

The Cross is Crucial

 

As I focused my mind’s eye on the cross, the vertical beam shone brightly. It drew my thoughts to the foundational importance of nurturing a living, loving relationship with Jesus, heaven to earth, divine to human, anchored in the Rock of Ages.

My loving relationship with Jesus, in whom I abide, needs to be well-established in order for me to be able to extend my arms horizontally and draw in those around me.

The Cross says it all.

Lord, may my relationship with you, Jesus, deepen today, so that I rely on you for everything, and can extend your limitless love to those I meet and for whom I pray today.