Morning by Morning, January 4 - Open Heavens and Visions of God by the Hand of the Lord
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise, as I begin my day centered in You--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.... the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was on him there" (Ezekiel 1:1-3).
Ezekiel lived under the Old Covenant, in troubled times, in a distant land. Yet You opened the heavens that he could see visions of God and Your hand "was on him there"--"there" in that place of his journey, "there" in that season of his life, "there" at a time when he and his people desperately needed the hope and encouragement and guidance of their God.
We live under a "New Covenant" (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 9:15). It's a New Covenant, fulfilled and sealed by the blood of Christ for all who put their hope and trust in You (Luke 22:20). Your New Covenant with us is "a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises" (Hebrews 8:6). And under this New Covenant You put Your laws in our minds and write them on our hearts, as You lead us and empower us, abiding with us by Your Holy Spirit, to "know the Lord" in increasingly intimate and personal relationship (Hebrews 8:8-12 fulfilling Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Under Your New Covenant with us, with Your Spirit abiding within us every moment of every day, Your hand is always upon us, Your heavens are always open over us, and You're always opening the eyes of our hearts to see visions of God (Romans 8:9). Every moment, we have the opportunity to live into the answer and fulfillment of the prayers of the Apostle Paul for all who believe, as he passionately prayed "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give (us) a spirit of wisdom and revelation as (we) come to know Him, so that, with the eyes of (our) heart enlightened, (we) may know what is the hope to which He has called (us), what are the riches of His glorious inheritance among (us) the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power" (Ephesians 1:17-19).
Like Ezekiel--but even more so, since we are under a better covenant with even better promises--let Your hand be upon us, let Your heavens be open over us, and let us see visions of God that we may see what You're doing, hear what You're saying, and walk in the ways that lead to life in You each day. We are a people living in troubled times, in a distant land far from our citizenship in heaven, who desperately need Your hope, Your encouragement, and Your guidance each day. And You're our loving and ever-present God, so willing to do just that, as we press in and press on with our spiritual journey to know You more personally and intimately each day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friend, I pray you powerfully experience the Lord's open heavens over you with His Holy Spirit within you, giving you His encouragement, hope, and guidance each day on your journey with Him, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, I welcome you to join with me in a daily journey of prayer with me through my 365 Day Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning, Second Edition, for a deeply intimate and personal journey of prayer each day.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Please share this word to encourage a friend!
