September 9

Morning

Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know. — Jer 33:3 BSB

There are different translations of this scripture. One version reads, “I will show you great and fortified things.” Another says, “Great and reserved things.” Indeed, there are hidden and special truths in Christian experience. Not every aspect of spiritual life is easy to attain. There are common experiences of repentance, faith, joy, and hope that are shared by the entire family of God, but there is also a higher realm of communion, rapture, and a deep sense of union with Christ that is not the common experience of all believers. Not everyone is given the privilege of John, who leaned on Jesus’ bosom, or of Paul, who was caught up into the third heaven. There are heights in the knowledge of God that human wisdom and philosophy can never reach—only God can bring us there. And the chariot He uses to take us up, the fiery horses that drive the chariot, are prevailing prayers.

Prevailing prayer has power with the God of mercy. “By his strength he had power with God—yes, he had power over the angel and prevailed—he wept, and made supplication unto Him—he found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke with us.” Prevailing prayer brings the Christian to Carmel, where he can cover heaven with clouds of blessing and earth with floods of mercy. It lifts the Christian up to Pisgah, where he can glimpse the inheritance that is reserved for him. It transfigures us on Tabor, where we become like our Lord, until, as He is, so are we in this world. If you desire something higher than an ordinary, earthly experience, look to the Rock that is higher than you, and gaze through the window of earnest prayer. When you open the window on your side, you’ll find it is not bolted on the other.

Evening

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads. — Rev 4:4 BSB

In heaven, the saints are said to be gathered around Christ’s throne. In the Song of Solomon, where the King sits at His table, some translations render it “a round table.” From this, some interpreters have said, without straining the text, “There is equality among the saints.” This is conveyed by the equal nearness of the twenty-four elders to Christ’s throne.

The glorified spirits in heaven enjoy nearness to Christ, clear vision of His glory, constant access to His presence, and familiar fellowship with Him. There is no difference in this respect between one saint and another—all the people of God, whether apostles, martyrs, ministers, or obscure believers, will be seated near the throne, gazing upon their exalted Lord and being satisfied with His love. All will be near to Christ, all ravished by His love, all eating and drinking at the same table with Him. Though they may not all receive equal rewards for their service, all will be equally loved as His favorites and friends.

Let believers on earth imitate the saints in heaven by drawing near to Christ. Let us make Christ the center of our lives, just as He is the center of the saints in heaven. How can we bear to live at such a distance from our Beloved? Lord Jesus, draw us closer to Yourself. Say to us, “Abide in Me, and I in you,” and let us sing, “His left hand is under my head, and His right hand embraces me.”