Experiencing Heaven Through Our Five Senses: Part One, Hearing Him

There is no doubt in my heart that God intimately knows me and passionately loves me! He proved that once again last evening at Christ Community Church's youth service! My heart swells with love for my Jesus, and I need to write what He has placed inside me, for He wants you all to know Him, be acquainted with Him, and experience Him through your five senses of hearing, touch, sight, smell and taste.

The article, "Child, Friend, Bride: A Threefold Cord," speaks of our threefold relationship to God; those ways of relating to God are enhanced and strengthened by the way He allows us to experience Him through our natural/supernatural senses. The Lord spoke to me while walking with Him a few days ago saying that we learn to know Him- who He is, what He is like, by sensing Him. He directed me to write a series of posts on this particular subject. Fellow youth leader, Tra, spoke last night at the youth meeting on this very subject. Tra had no idea what Jesus had spoken to me early Sunday morning during our walk together. Apparently, God wants us all to understand and grasp the reality of "God with us," through the medium of senses.

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]."

Hearing the heavenly realm seems to be the most common way of interacting with God. He desires us to know Him by the things He speaks to us or by the way He opens our sense of hearing to spiritual sounds. Earthly fathers use words to encourage their children; Fathers use words to guide, instruct, and rebuke, and our heavenly Father does the same. At twenty-three years of age, God instructed me to go ahead with brain surgery in order to remove an aneurysm-type lesion by audibly saying, "..., have the surgery. I will take care of you." I followed the direction of my Lord and experienced none of the expected side effects post surgery.

Some of the most intense hearing experiences I have had to date have been angelic singing. One Sunday afternoon while taking a nap, I awoke to hear the most beautiful singing, so beautiful in fact, that I did not want to move, breath or even blink my eyes, because I did not want the heavenly song to stop. In that moment, I had the revelation of how much I loved myself, not in an arrogant or self-centered way, but that I loved the woman I had become with Jesus. For someone who had struggled most of her life with self-worth, this heavenly interaction was no less than a miracle!

A public example of hearing angelic song occurred several years ago during a Terry MacAlmon concert at my church. I was worshipping when suddenly, behind me to my left and above the congregation, I heard what sounded like a choir of hundreds of voices singing notes I had never before heard on earth. This song lasted only for about fifteen seconds, but oh, what glorious fifteen seconds!

As His child, you too are entitled to hear the Lord and His heavenly realm. John 10:27 states, "The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me." As you quiet your soul and actively listen for His voice and for the voices of His angelic servants, I promise you, you will hear!

Jesus, appreciation bubbles up inside of me as I realize we not only are privileged to share our hearts with You, but also overwhelmingly blessed that You would respond to our hearts' pondering; that we can hear You! Holy Spirit, open up our ears that we might hear you clearly, love You completely and obey You fully! All for the glory of One named Jesus! AMEN!!