Return Visit

Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 1:55 a.m. – I woke with this song in my head:

Your Grace Is Enough / Chris Tomlin

Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart

Great is Your love and justice God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Your grace is enough
Heaven reaching down to us
Your grace is enough for me
God I see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love
Your grace is enough for me
For me

Just a little after 11 p.m., I had A VISION: I saw a young woman slicing her wrist with a knife or sharp instrument of some kind and then I saw an old man with gray hair and glasses. END. As I was praying about this, I fell asleep.

Then, I woke at 1:55 a.m. out of A DREAM: I went back to visit a former church, West End Church. I was sitting out in the congregation. The pastor pointed me out in the congregation and he honored me for my work of three years teaching a Bible study, I think.

He mentioned something about our family staying with him for a week when we first got into town and how our youngest son had spilled something on his carpet. He said that part kind of kiddingly and in response to another story which I don’t recall.

There was a man in the church (elder/deacon) who came up to me after the service in a back room, I think, and he asked me if I was back for good. He was concerned about me having left in the first place. He said that some people had asked about me frequently when I was gone and he really did not understand why I left in the first place, so I told him. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 32:1-8:

The Kingdom of Righteousness
1 See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.
2 Each man will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.

4 The mind of the rash will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

5 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

6 For the fool speaks folly,
his mind is busy with evil:
He practices ungodliness
and spreads error concerning the LORD;
the hungry he leaves empty
and from the thirsty he withholds water.

7 The scoundrel's methods are wicked,
he makes up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.

8 But the noble man makes noble plans,
and by noble deeds he stands.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: 32:1-2. In the Millennium the King (cf. comments on 33:17), that is, the Messiah, will reign in righteousness (11:1-5; cf. Jer.
23:5), and rulers under Him (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2; Rev. 5:10; 20:6; 22:5) will be
just. In fact every person entering the Millennium will be a believer. Each one
will be protective of others like a shelter from the wind and will refresh
others like . . . water in the desert and a rock that gives shade from the
desert heat.

32:3-8. In the Kingdom Age, people will see and hear
spiritual things clearly (cf. 29:18; 35:5; 42:7) in contrast with Judah’s
spiritual insensitivity (29:10-12). People will understand God’s Word and will
speak the truth clearly (32:4). Fools and scoundrels will no longer be
respected. As in the Book of Proverbs the fool (nāḇāl, ”senseless“) is one who
is evil (Isa. 32:6). He teaches falsehood and disregards the needs of others. In
contrast with the scoundrel who wickedly plots to take advantage of the poor and
the needy. . . . the noble person plans to do good to others. Because he is
righteous he stands; he will continue to live. END

My Understanding: I am representing Jesus in this dream. The church represents the church in the west (USA). The pastor, representing many pastors in the west, now gives honor to Jesus in contrast, I believe, to a previous time of foolishness and of teaching error. Now his eyes are opened and his ears will listen.

The elder/deacon man represents the congregation in their inquiries after the Lord during his absence (his withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from the church in the west). He (and the people) really did not understand why the Lord’s presence left the church in the west, so the Lord explains it to him. His eyes are also opened and he listens with his ears.

This is a message of much hope!