These are times when we all could use a little encouragement. Recently some good cheer came to me all the way from an old friend leaning over the balcony of heaven!
The Bible speaks of a great crowd of faithful witnesses in heaven, watching us, hovering over us like a cloud (Hebrews 12:1). Many of these faithful witnesses have prayed for us through the ages. Both Old and New Testament saints like Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah, apostles like John and Peter. Many are still praying for us in heaven now. Like my dear friend Anna (not her real name).
Heavenly vision
In a vision I saw a balcony area in heaven crowded with saints. Leaning over the railing, my friend Anna was gazing down at me, smiling. She was waving a white lace-trimmed handkerchief, perhaps trying to stand out from the crowd and so get my attention–which she did.
She did not speak to me in words. But I believe she was encouraging me to persevere through these difficult times. Keep on praying and believing for better days ahead. Keep the faith. Heaven is praying with us. God will send Revival to America. America shall be saved. God’s Kingdom will come. His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Just as we have prayed.
Synergy of the ages
God calls it the synergy of the ages. Synergy combines the prayers of all the saints, resulting in a huge multiplication of power–much greater than the sum of all our individual prayers. Synergy works in the natural physical world, when the compounding of two chemicals, for example, results in something greater than the two chemicals separately. The results can be explosive.
The same is true with our prayers. God combines all the prayers of all the saints through the ages. Their prayers and our prayers are not lost or forgotten. They do not float away or wear out after we speak them. They ascend to heaven, gathering in heavenly golden incense bowls (Revelation 5:8). Mixed together, our prayers multiply in dynamic power, ready to explode upon the earth.
And when the time is right, God instructs the angels to pour out the answers we have been waiting for. His will is done on the earth as it is in heaven. The Lord ministers real heavenly justice. He punishes evil. He raises up the good. He restores order out of chaos. He gives beauty for ashes. Restoring broken dreams and broken hearts. Extravagant blessings flow like water as He pours out His LOVE on earth. Healings and miracles overflow. Rivers upon the dry grounds.
In its time, it will come. Keep the faith. Pray on. Heaven is praying with us. Synergy is happening. Overflow is downloading from heaven. All of heaven celebrates.
May the God of hope grant you all joy and peace in believing that by the power of the Holy Spirit of God you do abound in hope–joyful expectation that what God says He will do. (Romans 15:13)
There has never been a better time for you to show off your God-given smile than right now–especially now in these messy Covid virus times. The flimsy masks we are told to wear may give you a false sense of security. You may feel that you are being protective of others. But these masks can be actually hurting more than helping.
While the N-95 and surgical grade masks do help safeguard health care workers and food service workers, those flimsy pieces of cloth most of us wear offer little to no protection from sickness. Instead, they offer the illusion of safety where there is none. The tiny particles of the virus can easily penetrate homemade masks. (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data)
Let the sick stay home. And let the healthy come outside and breathe the fresh air- -a gift from God. Be real. Sunshine is good for you.
Hiding behind a mask, on the other hand, can make people suspicious of you. Masks make people afraid. We become fearful of going too near someone to offer a helping hand or a friendly word of greeting or encouragement. We avoid looking at people directly in the eye. We can become locked in a self-imposed prison of isolation and discouragement. People with hearing difficulties (over a billion people worldwide) can be blocked from communicating and understanding, as the masks muffle the wearer’s voice and do not allow for lip reading.
Spread the joy
The world needs to see your smile and hear your voice! Even if you don’t feel like it, smile anyway. Your own joy will increase. It’s a proven fact that smiles boost endorphins, relieve stress, help you relax, and lower your blood pressure. Smiles may even lengthen your life.
Smiles increase your joy and the joy of those around you. When you unmask your beautiful smile, people feel valued, that they are worth the effort you made to smile at them. And they see you as more attractive, sincere, reliable and friendly. People respond to your smile with smiles of their own! It’s contagious. You have heard that the virus is contagious. But smiling is even more contagious!
Face it. When someone looks at you and flashes a genuine smile, it is hard not to smile back. We increase each other’s happiness.
We all feel better.
Pandemic of fear
By contrast, heavy-handed government regulations are tearing up people’s lives. The cure has become worse than the disease. Many businesses have been forced to close down, many have failed, throwing millions of Americans out of work, destroying dreams and futures. The financial and emotional stress of being unable to provide for their families, together with forced confinement at home, have caused alarming increases in domestic violence and child abuse. All this non-stop togetherness has brought out the worst in some people. Tempers have flared, and there are fewer ways to escape. Local shelters for victims are maxed out. The rates of depression and suicide are climbing. Alcohol and drug addictions have killed many more. As the stay-at-home measures continue to stretch out into months in some locales, people are losing hope. Lives are being lost at home. And especially in nursing homes in some states, where the inmates are locked down in solitary confinement, unable to visit one another or even see family members. Some patients are forced to die alone.
People should be free to choose how they want to live and die. Their quality of life may be more important to them than their length of life. How many of the so-called Covid deaths were actually the result of depression, loneliness and hopelessness caused by forced isolation?
Protection you can trust
So if masks are not the answer, how do we protect ourselves from a virus, Covid or otherwise? We put our trust in God and His word.
The Lord alone makes you dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)
God wants you healthy.
Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in good health. (3 John 2)
He has supplied healing for you in the Blood of Jesus.
By Jesus’ wounds we have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
The promise of protection is for all believers, but especially for those who trust in the Lord and say so.
No evil shall befall you. Neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. (Psalm 91:10)
And if you do get sick, ask a believer to come and pray for you.
These signs shall accompany those who believe…they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18)
Time to believe again. And say so. Whom are you believing? Where have you placed your confidence? America’s national motto says “In God we trust.” Do you trust government bureaucrats with their dismal false prophecies, which seek to stretch out the so-called pandemic for years? Or do you put your trust in the Word of God, which is unchangeable, filled with life and healing power?
Jesus is our Savior, Healer, Protector. Not a small piece of cloth you cover your face with.
Free to choose
Most states are seeing the number of new cases steadily decreasing. All fifty states are beginning to open up. States like Georgia and South Carolina that have completely reopened have not seen any meaningful increase in virus statistics. The predictions of catastrophe have been defeated. Praise the Lord.
For most of us, whether you choose to wear a mask is optional. But if your employer or city mayor insists that you wear a mask, you may choose to comply. And no one should fault you for that. Certainly keeping your job, if you have one, is an important factor to consider. However, for those of us who are healthy and choose not to wear a mask, do not condemn us. Or arrest us. Instead, smile with us. Smiling can be infectious. And we will all feel better.
Sounds like heaven 