Context: Yesterday, as soon as I woke up, I was taken on a journey around and beyond the world. There was no time to pray. Whilst it was happening, I was able to write down what I saw and understood, which has never happened to me before. I had no sense of time passing or of movement, and no awareness of my body or its surroundings.
The experience ended as soon as I had written down the last few words. I don’t know how long it lasted – perhaps an hour or two. Then I became aware of my body, and was very surprised to find myself in bed in my holiday flat, feeling truly awed and astonished by all I had seen. I might easily have thought I had simply been dreaming, except for all I had written down during my journey. Here is the essence of what I wrote:
I am God, and not a man –
the Holy One among you (Hosea 11:9; NIV).
1. God is neither male nor female,
Black nor white, not straight or gay,
2. Not Orthodox, or Catholic,
Or Protestant: God is The Way.
3. God is not Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim,
Buddhist, Jain, or Sikh,
4. Nor any other great world faith,
For God is light, and love, and peace.
5. God is Spirit, here, within us all –
The grace that sets us free.
6. God’s truth, consuming fire, and strength
Are pearls beyond all price, to me.
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant’s search for fine pearls. When one pearl of great value was found, the merchant went back and sold everything else and bought it (Matthew 13:45-6; TIB).
References
1. Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them; female and male, God made them (Genesis 1:27; TIB).
2. Keep in mind that God’s greatness exceeds our knowledge; God’s vastness is a mystery (Job 36:26; TIB).
I am the way (John 14:6; NIV).
God’s way is perfect (2 Samuel 22:31; NLT).
God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).
Follow the way of love (1 Corinthians 14:1; NIV).
3. God is greater than we can understand (Job 36:26; NLT).
4. God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT).
The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).
5. God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT).
We are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).
When we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin (Romans 6:7; NLT).
God’s grace has set us free from the law (Romans 6:15; NLT).
6. The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).
God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; NIV).
The Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4; KJV).
I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace (Acts 20:24; NIV).