The following is an attempt to verbalize some revelations I believe were given to me by the Spirit a week ago. It is challenging to put into words subtle concepts which I do not yet clearly see the extent of.
The author of the Hebrews repeatedly expounds on a rest which the regenerated man is encouraged to enter. The one who enters God’s rest has ceased from His own works, as God did from His. This is in other words a rest which is the consequence of realizing that we can do nothing without Christ. The book of Revelation contains many images which when they are spiritually understood draws a picture of the battle that takes place in our consciousnesses when the Spirit does His gracious work in illuminating our minds so that we are put in a position where we disclose this lie or illusion that we are an independent self. What we discover as the Spirit’s work proceeds in us is that God has taken wholly possession of us and that we live our lives in Christ and thus are His visible expressions in this realm. During this process when we discover the liberating truth of our true being we are in increasing measure revealed as the sons of God.
However, what the Spirit revealed to me is that there is an even higher level of rest which He calls the Sabbath Rest. In a glimpse I saw how everything in this world is used by God for His redemptive purposes. Absolutely everything that occurs in this universe He can turn and use for His good purposes. Nothing of what happens comes as a surprise to Him, He who is the great all in all. Then the Spirit showed me that this also applies to my life. There is nothing in my life which He cannot use for His redemptive purposes regarding my existence, and He can further on advance His redemptive purposes for others through me despite what I perceive as failures and weaknesses which I believe have the opposite effect. Everything works together for good for those who love Him, Paul says. The full effect of this insight is that my soul can find a rest which is not of this world, because He is so much greater than what I do or not do. I do not mentally understand this, that is, how He works forth His will and good purposes through both my positives and negatives. It is too great for me to grasp. However, it is on this backdrop that I can embrace my humanity as a right humanity in Him.
A couple of days later as I questioned these things the Spirit drew my attention to what happened at the cross. An event wrapped up in utter darkness. But, out of it a great light was borne. Then I saw my soul and my mind and the utter darkness they sometimes are filled with. Then He asked me: “If I could turn Jesus’ death into life and joy for many how much more then can I not create light and life out of your seasons of darkness?”
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