Tuesday, August 1 2017 Turn Your Eyes: The Imagination-The Place of Meditation (Meditation, Part 5) (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Tuesday, August 1 2017

Turn Your Eyes: The Imagination-The Place of Meditation (Meditation, Part 5)

(Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:17-18

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

2 Corinthians 10:5

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Isaiah 6:1

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Revelation 22

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Devotional:

The imagination is one of my favorite topics. In his passage in Celebration of Discipline, Mr. Foster wisely warns us to be vigilant to allow the imagination to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Gratefully, he also then embraces and encourages us as believers to submit our God-given imaginations to the Holy Spirit to show us Who God is. Throughout my life as a believer I have found the greatest comfort in the images of God formed within my imagination. In worship, my deepest times are experienced when I most fix my imagination on the Throneroom of Heaven. The practice of forming this image over time has helped me to be transported in some dim form into His presence and allowed me to reset my heart. In the words of the hymn:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

This isn’t a call to conjure up any idea we wish, but as Scripture shows us there is a real God, a real Throneroom, and the description of it is a wonderful jumping off point. He is high and lifted up. The elders surround Him. We can join in the song of Heaven as we put ourselves there in our imaginations. It is a beautiful place of conception and a wonderful tool for coming face to face with God while we are yet on this earth.

Prayer:

Lord, today I turn my eyes upon You. Show me in my heart the reality of You. I want to be captured by your real-ness, and amazed at Your splendor.

Intercession:

I bring my children to this great and glorious throne, and lay them at the foot of the Cross for Your intervention. (Review your journal or prayer list, make note of new needs, point out progress and answered prayer.)

This day is Yours, Lord. I bow and humble myself in acknowledgement that You are the One True God, and the only Answer to our daily needs. I bless You and love You and honor You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.