Sean Curran

There are a few moments in scripture where the Lord cracks the door open a little wider for us. It’s as if He is saying, “Come a little closer and peer inside. Let me show you how I see. Come perceive what I perceive.” This invitation is there for us in Revelation 4. Here, He shows us the Throne Room. After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:1-8 There are so many things about this passage that are quite simply beyond our understanding. Which, by the way, is nothing to fret over. It is something to cherish. To worship a God who is incomprehensible is one of the best ways to know you haven’t made a God of yourself. But, we do know this: There is a throne in the center, the Lord is upon it, and His glory is radiating like that of 1000 suns. There are majestic creatures that seem capable of doing only one thing: they circle the throne and with every breath they have, they say “Holy, Holy, Holy”. You get the feeling that they couldn’t stop even if they tried. Perhaps repetition is not redundancy in the throne room. Perhaps with every lap around the throne they catch another glimpse of His glory, another part of his heart, a new piece of His smile, another portion of His power, majesty, and beauty. Again and again and again, they are given another reason to sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” After all, the holiness of God is not a fickle or fragile thing. It is an eternal thing, and there is always more of it to behold. The beautiful mystery doesn’t stop there. Jesus, our High Priest, has given us access to the throne room. Even now, the invitation is there for US to join that endless song. We might sing something like this…. “With every lap around the throne I catch another glimpse, You’re Holy, Holy, Holy. The longer I behold you I can’t help but say again, You’re Holy, Holy, Holy.”

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.Psalm 42:5 NIV Have you ever swam underwater with goggles? I’ll never forget the first time I did it. Growing up in Florida, I was in the water more than dry land, it seemed. We were coastal kids. Pools, lakes, and ocean fronts were our playground. One summer afternoon, my dad came through the door with a few pairs of goggles. Not the Olympic swimmer kind that look like glasses from the future (or maybe the past). These were the ones that covered your whole face with a snorkel strapped to the side. He tossed them to my brother, sister, and me, and we all made a mad dash for the pool. With the goggles “suctioned cupped” to my face, I jumped. My body took its’ instinctual cannonball shape, and before I knew it, I was underwater. I had done this thousands of times before, but this time it was different. I could see. Clear as day. It was a whole new world. Well, it had always been there, but now I could see it. Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, “The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.” Luke 17: 20-21 MSG The kingdom of God is what Jesus spent most of His time talking about. And according to Him, it is here. RIGHT NOW. But oftentimes, like these Pharisees, we see what we want to see, don’t we? I know I do. Here’s the thing, the ministry of Jesus wasn’t about giving us 20/20 vision. It was about giving us sight. Jesus was trying to teach us to partner with God’s eyes. He was trying to wake us up to a whole new way of thinking, seeing, living, and perceiving. Maybe the sacredness of something is only limited by our ability to see it. Maybe instead of looking for what’s not here, we should stare long enough to see what’s actually here. If we have anything to learn from the Pharisees, it’s that we can stare God in the face and have absolutely no idea we are doing so. As followers of Jesus, we don’t get to know the details of every chapter of this story, but we do get to know the ending. In case you need a refresher on the plot line, the arc of redemption is long, but it ends in glory! So, the way we view our life right now has got to be informed by where we believe this is all going. You see, Jesus wasn’t only trying to get you into heaven, He was also trying to get heaven into you. Why should my heart grow weary? / Don’t be so downcast o my soul You are in every moment / You are my greatest miracle

There is a very beautiful and challenging story found in Mark 9, starting with verse 14. It’s about a man who is trying to get his son some much-needed help. Help that could only come from Jesus. You should read it. I’ll wait… Ok, you probably have loads of questions after reading a story like that. Good. So do I. After meditating on this story, here are the two things that left me compelled and encouraged. Put yourself in the shoes of this father. His son is in really, really bad shape. This man has got to be gripped with all sorts of fears and questions and possibly some anger or doubt, all the kinds of things that life has a way of throwing at us. But, instead of running away from God with all those things, he ran straight towards Him. He threw it all at the feet of Jesus. Even his honest faith. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” verse 24.Jesus doesn’t turn him away. Not only did Jesus heal the boy, but He also helped the father surrender. In the Kingdom of God, surrender always leads to freedom. Are there hurts, fears, or doubts in your life that cause you to run away from Jesus instead of towards Him? Don’t be afraid. He won’t turn you away. He’s bigger than that. The King is on your side. Surrender it all. Find your freedom. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.Philippians 4:6-8