Hidden With Christ In God

Early on in my journey of discovering my calling to prayer I would take time to wait on the Lord in silence.  I would choose a phrase so that if I got distracted in my time (sometimes 30min sometimes an hour) I could repeat the phrase to get me refocused.  I would choose something like, "I trust you Jesus" or simply, "Yes Jesus".  I can remember such pleasure in saying so few words before the Lord... anyway's before I start rambling let me get to the point of this post;

An Encounter With A Living Creature!  AAAHH!
Before you get all weird with me about encounters and stuff, let me be the first to say that I really don't know what happened.  I mean I was content to just stare at the back of my eye lids murmuring love phrases to Jesus but then, BAM!  I saw with my minds eye a living creature in flight around the throne of God(Rev 4:6-8).  Vivid and surreal, almost in slow motion he turned to face me, he was huge, I'm talking massive elephant size and he was glowing with the amber glory of God and I was right up next to him when he turned to me.  Then something strange happened.  I began to feel sure in my spirit that this was not a living creature but was actually God Himself!!!

Encounters Rewrite Theology 
Now before you get all weird with me about who is God and stuff, let me be the first to say that I really don't know what happened.  One minute it's a living creature then the next it's God, with my spirit bearing witness beyond a shadow of a doubt.  I was so perplexed I thought, 'I'm not supposed to see God and live'... then in that place of waiting, I got the interpretation.

When We See Him
Slowly as I was watching, liquid glory began to sluff off of the living creatures face, and I began to discern the living creature beneath.  He got an astonished look on his face as if exposed and quickly turned his gaze back to the throne of God and was immediately covered again with glory!  Then I opened my eyes, the vision was over.

Now whether or not I was actually caught up into heaven is a side matter.  The point is that the Lord was teaching me something.  The bible says, "when we see Him we will be like Him." referring to the day Jesus returns to earth.  But from that day on I began to apply that verse in a different way.  Beholding is becoming for better or for worse.  God promises the man who chooses to fill his eyes with His light will find his whole body transformed!  The living creatures enjoy the closest view of God in proximity and have been there gazing on beauty for eternity!  They are getting swallowed up in glory and pleasure!  King David, the man after God's own heart says, "One thing have I desired, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord."(Psalm 27:4)  Let's take time to just simply be before the Lord, not with our laundry list of needs, but with a simple phrase, "You're Beautiful."

Priestly Blessing:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.