In the 90’s, I spent over a year alone in my log cabin in the piney woods area of East Texas. The Lord was with me in a very personal way and was my only constant companion. About sunrise most mornings I walked the short distance from my cabin to what I called my prayer hill. One morning as I approached the prayer hill area just prior to sunrise the Lord asked me to stop for a moment. As I paused looking over the flat part of the top of the prayer hill area, a vision began to appear before me.
In the grey light of pre dawn before me I saw an endless line of people moving in single file one behind the other. They were walking from northeast to southwest across the prayer hill area. They each had a large pack on their backs and were walking in a well worn trail. The land was sandy and all the grass had been worn off of the three to four foot wide trail that had become as a rut. The trail was soft sand which made walking carrying the large packs very difficult. All of the people were bent forward a bit under the load and looked only downward at the feet of the person before them. No one spoke as they moved in complete silence. The people all seemed covered in a dull grey slightly greenish color including their skin, clothes, heavy boots, and their heavy back packs. It was if they had been completely covered in a dull grey colored substance.
As I stood watching this vision a beautiful sound of heavenly music began to be heard coming from a hill to the east of my prayer hill. The music was as voices blended so perfectly as to sound like instruments and perhaps there were instruments as well. Immediately after the music began, a bright slightly golden light began to shine from behind the hill which had become as a small mountain with the top glowing with the light. At almost the same time the music was heard, the light began to strike the prayer hill and the people drudging across it. Without a word simultaneously all of the people on the hill stopped, lifted their heads and looked toward the light streaming in from the east. All of them at the same time stepped out of the rut and without a word removed their back packs and laid them down beside the trail. All those on the hill then began to walk quietly as a bunch toward the light and the sound.
On my prayer hill, if you walked toward the east down the hill, there was a valley through which the east fork of Piney Creek flowed. In the natural it is a small stream. As the grey people began to walk toward the east down hill from the prayer hill they came to the stream which had become a larger stream of fresh crystal clear water. The stream was now two to four feet deep with a clean gravel bottom. The group of people entered the stream and began to wash and splash around. For the first time they began to speak and interact happily with each other. As they came out the other side they were no longer grey people but had natural skin and were wearing brightly colored clothes. They seemed very much alive and happy.
As they walked on several abreast and began to ascend the hill that had become a small mountain. Their eyes became fixed upon the top of the mountain with the bright light and heavenly sound of music. They began to interact with the music in perfect harmony with the heavenly sound. As they ascended, their brightly colored clothing became a bright white as they blended with the now bright white light.
The Lord spoke again in my spirit and said, “Go look in the packs”. I walked over to the line of packs on the ground. I was astonished by the heavy weight of the pack that I tried to pick up. I opened several of the packs and inside I found a number of different types of items. There were a lot of thick very heavy theology books and various kinds of religious symbols and paraphernalia. There were “how to” books of success and self improvement and science of mind type things. There were also a lot of property deeds, business papers, mortgages, financial records and such. I found nothing in the packs that would be considered evil. On the contrary they were filled with important sorts of things that we would consider valuable in this life.
I knew beyond a doubt what the awesome vision meant. I knew that the grey people were God’s people locked in the rut of religion carrying unbelievable burdens trying to fulfill church systems that had become lifeless and inordinately filled with man’s traditions. I was overcome with the magnitude of what I had just seen. The Lord assured me that this change would come about. I proceeded to my prayer spot with a broken heart for God’s people and began from that moment on to cry out for the glorious transformation that I had seen to come to pass. I prayed for the sound to come and the light to shine and the crystal clear river to cleanse the religious coating of death from His people and cause us to lay aside the heavy burdens of religion and ascend into glorious oneness with Him.
The transformation has begun.
Praise God! The transformation has begun and is now in process. In the vision I was aware of an endless line of people before and behind the ones who were on the prayer hill. Though it was not a part of the vision, I believe that as the grey people in the endless line come to the hill of prayer they will come into a place where the sound of transformation can be heard and the light of glory will shine upon them. And as it was in the vision all who hear the sound and see the light will be transformed. Are you hearing the sound and seeing the glorious light of transformation?
But what about the adversity that I have encountered after stepping out of the rut?
After having heard and seen, some may not realize that they are on the way because of the adversity they have encountered. The vision did not show the tribulation and persecution that we encounter in the valley. The pain of transformation that many of us have already or may soon pass through was not described in that particular vision. God was not hiding it from us but was showing us what to pray for. We never need to pray for persecution, it will come as needed to aid transformation for at least some of us.
Persecution and unjust painful experiences are a normal part of becoming as Christ is in the world. These painful experiences are much more than just some unpleasant side effects of becoming as Christ. There is a significant purpose in suffering persecution. Scripture clearly tells us that those who are treated badly for the sake of righteousness or the name of Christ are blessed. Quietly suffering unjust painful experiences and willingly accepting personal sacrifice can cause significant increase in possessing the kingdom of God.
Mat 5:10-11: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Mark 10:29-30: So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time; houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions.”
2 Tim 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
DON’T WASTE YOUR PAIN.
What is the blessing or fruit of unjust painful experiences? Is the blessing automatic or can we waste our pain by missing the blessing?
2 Cor 12:10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The weakening of self makes room for the strength of “Christ in you” to be strong.
Pain in the heart always does one of two things in us dependant upon our response. We can choose to resent the unjust painful treatment and become defiled by a root of bitterness. That will change us and bear the fruit of many forms of evil and loss in our lives. The wrecks of those who have consistently made the choice to resent painful injustices and subconsciously seek to defend their souls from pain and death can be seen scattered along the roadside of life. Pain plus resentment becomes a flow of bitterness leading to defilement.
The other option available to the believer is to forgive the injustices from the heart. Since the treatment was unjust and we were God’s child seeking to serve Him, forgiving requires the brokenness of our soul’s desires, rights, needs and expectations. It requires giving up our natural lives to the death. Resurrection life only comes after death. A strong but wounded soul creates a strong desire or need to stay alive, prosper and be accepted of others. Total brokenness for a strong soul like mine was may require many episodes of being lambasted again and again with unjust painful experiences. Pain plus forgiveness become a flow of love leading to purity and holiness.
The development of Christ’s life in His people is proceeded by pain and brokenness. If we do evil there is no profit in the resulting pain. But when we truly give ourselves to God and live righteously, unjust pain is highly profitable if we take it patiently and forgive. This is a part of our calling to bring forth Christ in us. Only as Christ is formed in us can we rule and reign with Him establishing the kingdom of God lifestyle in every aspect of life in our world.
1 Pet 2:20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
1 Pet 4:14: If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Keep on Pursuing Love,
It Will Never Fail,
Lots of Love,
Ron McGatlin