Turn on the LIGHT...

This morning in prayer time I was drawn to Isaiah 60:1; " Arise, Arise for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." .... However, I didn't hear or see anything....So, I went a head and started my day!  As I was driving to my first patients' home all I could think about was the intense warfare from yesterday... ...trying to understand what was all about...Literally, as soon as my feet hit the floor yesterday morning the enemy started working on my mind... Battled him the entire morning... even through my prayer time... I just could not focus on the Lord.... I would rebuke...bind.... plea the blood... and still he was there... like a nagging gnat!! Then when I went to crank my car (by the way it's a new car only 6 months old...) it would not crank.... That did it for me... I got mad and started just yelling at the enemy... Standing my ground... Standing on the promise that God has given me over him..... About 30mins later...I felt better...!  

But as I was pondering all of this... I started worrying that maybe I had failed God in someway.. This new job is certainly taking a lot of brain time.... I am not able to focus on God as much as I am use too... that has really bothered me...Just then I heard: You passed the test~Don't worry!  I praised God... thanking Him for that reassurance...but wondered what that meant...what did the "test" mean...  

Throughout the course of the day... one patient after another asked me if I wanted a light on... I would just laugh and say I was fine...but each time I was asked that I would be quickened to something my grandmother use to tell me all the time.. "Erica, honey...don't ruin your eyes turn on a light... a bright light!"  and I would even share it with my patients... Well, finally I arrived at my last patients' home and she said to me, "We have plenty of power... we can turn the light on...."  (this was the third patient to tell me this..) Again, I just laughed and again shared the story of my grandmother... Really thinking nothing about it...  But as I was pulling out of her drive way... it finally hit me...I was then reminded of the verse that I was drawn to this morning... 

Isaiah 60:1 (NIV)

 " Arise, Arise for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."

God confirmed that word 3 times... through three different patients.... and a quickened memory of my late grandmother.  But what was he actually saying?  

God has been turning on the lights since Genesis. 

 Genesis 1: 3-4 

"God said, "Let there be light" and there was light. God saw the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. "

Exodus 13:21

 " by day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and by night a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night. "  

In Genesis we learn that God created the light and that it is good....in Exodus we learn that even though we may be traveling at night...walking in darkness...God will provide the light for our paths... so we won't stumble...and get taken off of the narrow walk way that leads to Him.  What a  beautiful picture!  

But how does this relate to the word I was given? 

KJV:  Isaiah 60:1

"Arise, shine; for the light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee."

So what God is saying through Isaiah the prophet here is this: Rise up, Stand...light has come..and the splendor...the abundance  of the Lord is coming forth... is appearing...

Throughout the day as each patient would ask me if I wanted "the light"  but each in a different form.. 

1st: "Turn on the light"  ...a command

2nd: "Do you want some light" ....a question

3rd: "We have plenty of power...We can turn on the light" ... a proclamation 

Quickened memory of my grandmother: "Erica, honey...don't ruin your eyes turn on a light... a bright light!"  ... an informative plea...

Fill thy cup: 

I have given you my light, and I am shining upon you even now...giving you more light... I need you to examine all areas of your life as I provide the light... sift through...with clarity I provide the vision... not disturbing what has already been grounded in you...I want to give you more...Plenty, as I have so much more to offer you... Accept the light that I am shining on you... offer up to me the areas that are still in darkness... You have felt cluttered lately, let's bring the the clutter to light together... So your path will be clear... as you are able to see with more clarity... these dark areas will become more visible... I will chase the darkness away... My desire is for no darkness to remain in you.. I want to make you radiant...  A BRIGHT LIGHT... a beacon....my beloved how precious you are in my sight!  

Come Before the KING...

This morning as I was finishing the blog posting, "I DO NOT Belong to Those that SHRINK Back..." I scooted my chair back and laid my head on my desk... taking several deep breaths as I pondered the depth of the meaning behind the Lord presenting that verse to me...and my reply~the level of commitment I so boldly stepped up to... it was weighty!  Still with my head on my desk I begun to pour out my heart to the Lord so deeply...so personally... to personal to share right now... I SAW in a vision my head laying in the lap of the Lord...with both of His hands on my head....I had some praise music playing and I sat there for what seemed like forever just worshiping Him... it was just an intimate vision... As I realized what time it was I got up and started getting ready for church... On the way to church I HEARD: Come before the King (an invitation was extended to me to come before the throne of God)...

During our praise and worship service I closed my eyes and suddenly saw myself kneeling before the throne of God singing praises to my King.  I heard: "Well done- My faithful servant.  Bask in my presence." I suddenly felt showers of His glory washing over me~as I stayed there basking in his presence the song of the congregation "Worth is the Lamb...who sits on the throne..." became alive...I found myself unable to sing as God opened my ears to hear it as He hears it and my heart and mind could not comprehend the level of praise that accompanied that type of worship... It was absolutely the most beautiful sound... As I witnessed God sitting on his throne basking in the praise of his people...He made me realize in a very tangible way that our praise to Him is what He desires the most...that intimate time of seeking His face...completely and totally focusing on Him! Regardless of how small the voice.. how close or how far away one might be to God...He hears the praise of His people... and He takes that small distant voice and when offered up as praise it becomes the loudest most harmonies sound to His ears... What a glorious, wondrous, loving KING we serve.  ALL HONOR AND GLORY IS SIGNED TO YOU OH LORD!

Revelation 4: 2-3

"At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like emerald encircled the throne." 

Isaiah 50:5

"The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away." 

1 Peter 2:9

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye shall show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. " 

Psalms 66:8

"Praise our God all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;"

Psalms 67:2-3

"So that your ways may be known on the earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you."

Psalms 30:4

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his Holy name."