From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Recently, I sent out a prophetic word that was called, "You Can't Hear Me? Then Watch Me, Because I'll Show You".
One of the readers who is also in ministry, responded with a great, insightful article. I asked if I might publish her article.
Gayle Goninon gave her permission and here it is. This will help many of you to watch closely what God is doing – in and around you – that creates effectively a "3D" photo of what God is doing in your life.
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Gayle Goninon:
Father, Show Us, So We Can See and Do!
Recently our 18-month-old grandson and I were enjoying one of his books together when we came across a picture of some very jolly firemen rushing from their fire truck, hose in hand, to put out a small fire in the hay.
I proceeded to explain to him as best I could the reality of water gushing from a hose, complete with quite commendable sound effects! He seemed reasonably happy with the explanation, but I knew there was so much more! It was obvious to me that he was unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing as it was beyond the realm of his experience.
"A demonstration!" I thought, so we ventured outside and began to uncoil the garden hose from its rack. He looked on with casual interest...until I turned the water on! His face lit up, his eyes widened with wonder, and he was transfixed with amazement! He could have had no inkling of what was to erupt from the hose, either from the picture we had looked at, or from my explanation.
He was ecstatic! Now he could see it! Now he could hear it! Now he could feel and taste and touch it! What had previously been just a picture in a book was now real!
I felt the Lord saying that it is the same for us! We have read and studied His Book. We have tried to imagine the fullness of the reality of His miracle working power and of the river of the water of life, but for most of us, it remains beyond the realm of our experience. How true is 1 Corinthians 2:9, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."
How Can We Access the Reality of What We Read In His Word?
The very first miracle of Jesus turning water into wine in John 2 provides some clues as to how we might access the reality of what we have read and studied in His Word.
There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus was there and a need arose. Jesus was asked, and He responded by turning the water into wine. He thus openly revealed His glory for the first time in public. This miracle opened the flow for others, and Jesus went on to heal the official's son, then the invalid by the pool of Bethesda (see John 4 & 5).
Jesus revealed the source of these first three miracles by saying: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can only do what He sees the Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, to your amazement He will show Him even greater things than these" (John 5:19-20 NIV).
The New Living Translation sheds further light on verse 20 of John chapter 5: "For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. In fact, the Father will show Him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished."
We Can Ask the Father to Show Us How
From these verses we learn that Jesus could do only what He saw the Father doing, and that the Father would show Him how to do even greater works. As we abide in Him, hear His heartbeat, and get onto His page, we too can ask the Father firstly to show us what He is doing, and then to show us how to do even greater works.
Secondly, the miracle occurred to meet a need and because Jesus was asked. May we have the courage to ask Him to meet our needs and the needs of others.
Thirdly, we note that the miracle was done in public, revealing His glory for the first time and opening the flow for the ensuing miracles. Let us pray for the breakthrough of the revelation of His glory which will allow the flow of His miracles to begin.
How Do We See?
Seeing in the realm of the Spirit is like looking at a 3D picture (just like my garden hose picture). Our focus needs to be adjusted to see beyond the 2D image in order to pick up the perception of depth. In fact, the correct way to view a 3D picture is for your brain to see two different angles of the same image which your visual cortex will then put together as an object of depth.
When seeing the things of God, we still have our physical eyes on what we view in the natural realm, but we need to ask the Lord to give us a Spirit of revelation in order to open the eyes of our hearts so we can look beyond the physical into the Spirit realm, enabling us to realize the full depth of what God sees in the situation.
And what about this famous picture of the vase? Are you sure it's a vase? If you look outside the box and change your perception you will see two faces looking inward. The picture will be defined by what is outside rather than what is inside. Maybe we need to look outside the box of our pre-conceived ideas and prejudices in order to see things from a different angle or in a new light.
Our seeing beyond the natural or outside the box may well require us to step out in faith. Peter modeled this for us when Jesus bade him to "come" and he stepped out of the boat onto the water. God promises when we step out in faith at His bidding, that the unknown beneath our feet will become solid ground. Remember the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Harrison Ford (Junior) was required to step out into an apparent chasm in pursuit of his goal? A gentle sprinkling revealed that there was in fact a previously unseen bridge there, but it was only made known to him after he took the step of faith – a fictional demonstration of a rock-solid truth of God.
Sometimes our seeing will require us to behave in a counter-intuitive manner. Take for example Abraham who chose the barren heights, leaving the lush and fertile fields to Lot. Take Philip, called to set out on a desert road to ultimately intersect with the lone, truth-seeking Ethiopian eunuch. Wouldn't we rather be called to a stadium filled with people? Take Ananias, sent to pray for Paul to receive his sight, all the time knowing that Paul had murderous intentions toward Christians. Take Gideon, commanded to send 9,700 of his 10,000 men home and then go on to rout the enemy with just 300 remaining men. Each one was richly rewarded because of his obedience to what God was showing him to do.
Prayer For Us To See And Do
Jeremiah 33:3 exhorts us to call to the Lord so that He will show us great and mighty things which we do not yet know.
So, Lord, please show us what You are doing. Please show us how to do even greater works. Please bid us to come, to step out of the boat onto the water, and to add action to our faith. Please take us outside the box of our current understanding and grant to us a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we will not judge by what our eyes see in the natural, but that by the power of Your Holy Spirit we will begin to see and hear and feel and taste and touch the reality of what we have read and studied in Your Book! May we delight in what You show us, then step out and follow Your lead.
Gayle Goninon
Email: gayle.goninon@hotmail.com
Gayle Goninon and her husband Peter were renewed during the Charismatic renewal in the 1970s and have continued to walk in the Spirit and to seek God's leading since. Gayle lives in Tasmania, Australia, and her and her husband currently serve in their local Anglican church where Gayle is training a group of leaders to assist in the upcoming presentation of a series of seminars she recently authored titled "Hearing From God and Passing On His Words To Build Up Others." Prior to 2011, Gayle spent 23 years teaching in a Christian school where all aspects of the curriculum were taught from a Biblical perspective.
