I wrote this prayer down as I contemplated the presence of God, which is heaven.............
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid because I know that your Spirit goes ahead. A fire by night and a cloud by day. This fire that burns at the center of my soul, consumes the all consuming darkness and lights the way in the blackness of my many deserts. It warms me against the night cold that would sap me of my strength. And your cloud oh Lord covers me from the searing heat of my many trials and afflictions that would drain me oh Lord and cause me to stumble and fall. You are the very essence of my life. You are the wellspring of life itself. You are my Jesus. Its at the name of Jesus that the demons flee. Its at the name of Jesus that the world shakes. The thunder roars and the lightning flashes at the name of Jesus. Mountains fall down at the name of Jesus, the birds themselves sing of your fame. Even the very darkness is light to you my King.
Even if I make my bed in hell, even there the name of Jesus is high and lifted up and all bow their knees. Where could I go oh Lord, where could I flee from your Spirit? In the darkest moments of my life, when my downcast soul cried out, all seemed lost and gone and suddenly, suddenly, suddenly you are there in all your glory. The seas that roared and the winds that blew, they bowed their knee to you and all was calm. Even when I lay bloodied and defeated in the battle-field of life, it was you Jesus, who rode on a mighty stallion through the debris and the fire and the destruction and plucked me from the jaws of total defeat and Calvary’s victory won the day. When I had fallen to the bottom of the bottomless pit and cried out with all that was left within me, you came for me, right where I was , the gates of hell itself, and you picked me up and you lifted me out of the darkness of hell and you put me down and made my feet to stand in a sure place.
As the deer panteth for the waterbrooks so my soul longeth after thee of Lord and my soul cries out in a dry and thirsty land. Revive me oh Lord, refresh my soul that hungers after heavens food, my spirit longs for waters that flow from heavens throne. I have tasted this food, I have drank of this water. I am ruined for all of life’s food and all other waters are foul tasting to my spirit. Lord Jesus, you are beautiful beyond description, to marvelous indeed for words. The moments I have spent in your sanctuary, rob me of all of my words and render them all meaningless. I feel heavenly words in all of me, not just in my brain and in my mouth, but in my very essence. Who and what you are is in my very DNA in your presence, and every particle of me glows with who you are in your presence , and I know that I cannot dwell there for I would that I would never leave that place. And so that I can go on living I must only dwell there for a moment, but oh what a glorious moment, these moments are my very life.
It is these moments that allow me to endure all things for I know that there will come a day where suddenly it will be moments no longer. And it makes me tremble all the more when I realize that this place of eternity, this uninterrupted unadulterated presence of the living God has not even entered into the hearts of man. No eye has seen nor ear heard nor spirit experienced the full measure of our God. It is above and beyond human description or even imagination. I come to the end of myself and it thrills my soul to know that at the very end of everything that ever was, everything that has ever been or ever will be experienced by man is the very beginning of you, the very beginning of you. My souls journey into eternity renders all mere trials as momentary and light, I shall count them all as rubbish for the goal that is set before me. Oh the glorious wonder of a world that cannot be imagined. You tell me oh Lord that it has not even entered into the hearts of man and I compare it with the moments I have spent in your presence and based on this alone my mind is staggered to a point that I cannot even comprehend the beginning of what you have said.
You speak the word Lord Jesus and my soul knows well that it is true and will be as you say. I need to pray for a heart that will want to stay here and serve you Jesus for my spirit longs to be away with you to the place that you have spoken. Come Lord Jesus, come as we move towards the door and answer the knocking. Come Lord Jesus and bring us our moments, moments that transport us from where we are to where you are, moments that take us to the throne-room itself to a place of awe and majesty and grace, to a place that prepares us for that which has not entered into the hearts of man. Lord in the desert you asked your people to prepare themselves three days and then you manifested your presence, and the mountains shook, and the thunder roared and the lightning flashed across the sky and then the heavenly trumpet blew and the people cried out, and they would surely die at even this limited revelation. They cried out and Moses , your servant veiled his face for the very face glowed, it glowed, it was lit up, it had , in a very limited way, saw the king of glory. Your prophet cried out “My eyes have seen the king,” and you oh Lord sat upon your throne and the train of your robe filled the temple.
You were high and lifted up and the prophet thought that he would surely die in your presence , he thought that your glory would destroy his flesh yet you sustained him and allowed him to testify of your glory. Praise you king of glory, praise you Lord almighty, for the earth is yours and the fullness of it, all the world and those who dwell in it. Let us have clean hands and a pure heart, and let our heads be lifted up to see the glory of the living God, let us open the doors to the most intimate chambers of our hearts and the King of Glory shall come in, you are the King of glory oh Lord Jesus, mighty in battle. We worship you Lord Jesus and we follow you into battle for you are our commander of the heavenly hosts. You ride upon the skies of love and glory. The momentum of Calvary drives out every demon and chases them to the ends of the earth and every time they raise their dark heads the King of glory, Jesus , our Lord and Saviour dispenses His light and there is victory. Victory in Jesus, our Saviour forever. At the cross at the cross where we first saw the light, and the burden of our souls was rolled away. Just like the stone that held Lazarus in his grave, when that stone was rolled away and you shouted come forth, then we came forth from death into your marvelous light. No longer dead in our sins and trespasses, no longer children of darkness , no longer cowed by the sting of death for death had lost its sting and the grave was defeated and now we are children of the light , we are your children set upon a hill for all the world to see. We are as a lighthouse that shines out its light into the darkest nights and into the fiercest of storms .
We are a beacon of hope for a world that has no hope because you are in us and we in you. You shine your light through us Lord to a world that is lost in its sin and you say through us to that world, come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, come and find rest for your weary souls. You are our all in all and we stand firm with you Lord Jesus. Even as your name becomes an offence around the world then we cry it out all the louder. In the coming storm of persecution, we will continue to cry out your name to our persecutors for you are their only hope. Oh Lord, all of this and more from one moment in your presence, one word from your lips, one breath of life from you. Lord we know that we can do nothing by ourselves. So, since it is not by might nor by power but it is by your Spirit Lord, we run to you Lord , our refuge and our High tower and we know that God is in the generation of the righteous and we have been made righteous in the sight of God by you oh Lord. You are about to bring back your people from their captivity Lord and you will do what you have promised and we believe the promises of our God. We stand amazed at you oh Lord. We will stand and wait upon you and we will be still and see the Glory of our God…….In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
