You Make Me Brave
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
God is an excellent author. It is actually one of the primary identities He has chosen to reveal Himself through...Author, Father, Husband, Faithful Witness...
Jesus IS His own story. He is the reality the Bible is relating...and He is the author of the words. He has chosen to express very specific facets of who He is in the story He has written for us to read. He is much more than His words, but Jesus actually is the literal Word. Jesus is the story God began in the garden:
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
The beginning of the story is very important, because it lays out the reason for the story. God's story is all about Immanuel...Jesus the Christ...the anointed one to rejoin God with man so that life could happen again. Right now, life is on "pause" until man is back face to face with His life source. That is what God called very good at the beginning of the story.
Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God filled the earth with His glory, planted a garden in the light of His glory, filled it with amazing and interesting life, then created for Himself the seeds of a royal family (Adam and Eve were the first of the billions God desired to include in His story) to govern over the garden with. God made man to share in not just the execution, but the very creation of the details of His story:
Genesis 2:19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
The fall of mankind interrupted life for mankind. It broke, in many ways, our experience of the goodness of the story. We were made to live in what we would call "supernatural" life. From God's perspective, what mankind actually chose was "subnatural" existence. Supernatural is supposed to be natural. At the fall, life stopped, but God wasn't willing that the story end there. He made a way for life to begin again for anyone that wanted it:
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Mankind's experience of life WAS interrupted in the fall. Our existence changed. No longer was our role mostly about contributing to the story...it became more about clinging to the basics of existence. As man fell into a subnatural existence, separated from the source of life, what was simply amazingly natural for man became supernatural in our imaginations. What was natural for creation became supernaturally out of reach and creation began groaning for us to reconnect with God's story in full:
Romans 8:18-23 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
At the fall, pain and struggle took the place of peace and abundance, and labor and toil filled that void left by man's turning from the creative role he was designed for. We have a hard time imagining the state we were designed to live in. Paul said He experienced it once, and it was so glorious it would be illegal for Him to utter it. The fall paused real life:
Genesis 3:14-19 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
Mankind's life was interrupted, but God's story never stopped. Since the day of the fall, the Father has been searching for anyone willing to love life with Him...to see this time as simply the rising action of the drama...to see the conflict needs to be resolved, and that a falling action and denouement are coming. God is looking for anyone willing to resist the urge to write their own story and connect with His. His story is the best one that could ever be written. It isn't about "your best life now"...it is about wholeheartedly agreeing with the story that will restore real life.
Supernatural is going to be natural again, the devil and demons are going to be removed, the happily ever after is yet to come. God is literally searching the earth for those willing to enter in to His story. Getting "saved" isn't the same as entering in to the story. It is simply the minimum requirement for getting into the story again.
Getting saved and then embracing ALL of the story is what God is looking for. God is searching for those that will take the time to learn the story He has written, and then find their spot in it, instead of trying to write their own story in the middle of His:
II Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
Asa, the one whom the Author was addressing in this passage, found himself in an amazing role in God's story...but then, when a subplot of conflict began to unfold, Asa decided, in fear, that rather than continue to agree with the Author...to learn his next scene...he would rather tell the author how the story ought to go. Through Asa's foolish choice, God told us all a basic truth about existence: God is looking to show Himself strong on behalf of anyone who embraces the story the way God has written it.
Right now many want to write their own story at the time the climax is rapidly being reached, all the while the greatest story ever told is literally calling them into their role, if they would actually choose to enter in. Now is the time when the heroes of the story will be revealed! You really want to learn and embrace the specifics of the end time scene we are entering into!
You live in the hour of the climax, when the conflict is about to be resolved. Satan is desperate to steal, kill, and destroy. The only way he can do any of those things is to get you to write a different story than the Author is telling.
The story God is telling is already written in great detail. The only unknown is MY role in it...and your role in it.
Many take the simple and plain words of the story and try to make them different. They form complex theological arguments in order to rationalize a different story than the simple, yet intense story, God has written and is inviting us into. The reason many try to escape the story is their fear of losing the scraps they are clinging to because they aren't convinced the Author is really good, knows what he is doing, and is actually powerful enough to keep His promises.
What do we have in our hands that we are so afraid to lose? subnatural existence.
Many are trapped by a fear, expressed or not, that the Author may not be that good, or may not have written a very good story because it sounds scary, or that the Author maybe doesn't love THEM as much as the famous ones who said yes to His story...the Noahs, and Davids, and Daniels, and Peters, and Pauls...
These fears are chains from the enemy...lies meant to steal YOUR role in the story by convincing you that God's story couldn't be that wonderful for you. It can be, if you want it to be. God's eyes are literally searching for anyone who loves the story, no matter what it says, because they believe the Author is good, knows how to write, is actually powerful, and loves THEM.
God mercy, power, and love wouldn't be demonstrated by removing you from the perfect story he wrote just for you. God isn't afraid of hurting you with His story! He wants you, by your embracing of the story, to invite as many in to THEIR role as possible.
God has a glorious role for anyone willing to choose to agree with Him, but those who refuse HIS story will get their own. For love, God refuses to make anyone embrace His story. If you want another, you will get your own story of existence absent His Authorship...absent life.
God, because of the truth of who He is, isn't going to come bring life to YOUR story that doesn't agree with who He wrote you to be. God won't pretend your story is better, He won't take second place. If you refuse His glorious story, you will get your own sad, subnatural, and lifeless story. Satan is trying to market your own boring story of comfort to you! But your own lesser story can only end one way: your death. This is what the devil is selling anyone arrogant, scared, or confused enough to buy it. But, there is already a perfect story written for you if you want it.
If you are scared of the ending of the story God has written for you, it is because you don't understand, or believe the Author. The Author of the story is perfectly powerful and perfectly loving. Where these two realities are true, there is nothing to be afraid of.
When you are the beloved of the Author, the story always goes well for you.
A knowledge of His love will make you bold to see the true story in truth! You know you have grown in love for God when you are able to look at His whole story, not symbolize any of it away, or invent a false plot that takes you out of the intensity, and boldly look forward to it unfolding:
I John 4:17-18 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Yesterday I was struck by a conversation with one of my kids. We were driving and he wanted me to hear a song he kept telling us was his favorite song. As we were listening to the song, he said "dad, do you know why this is my favorite song?" He then proceeded to tell me that God had revealed to him that this song would be being played by him as a significant, but admittedly scary, portion of the Bible was being played out. The role God has invited my son into is intense, at first I think it scared him, but now he is embracing it.
While he was relating what he believes his role is, I was tempted to calm him down a little...you know, don't let him get too excited...At first, as he mentioned a part of Revelation I know well, I started to worry that he would be scared if he thought about this too much, or disappointed if this didn't really happen. I wanted to pull him down back to earth a little...but thankfully, the Lord stopped me. I heard the Lord say "just listen."
My son believes he has a role in comforting many people through a very intense moment in human history. The moment my son has in his mind...the intense moment God has shown my son that his own part of the story will touch is a role in this moment:
Revelation 11:7-13 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
God has used a song to strengthen my son in this role. My son's current favorite song is the song "You Make Me Brave" by Amanda Cook. Its a great song, but it is also a very powerful truth for anyone willing to let it be. This is the song the Lord has used to connect my son to his role in the Author's story. Here are the lyrics:
I stand before You now
The greatness of Your renown
I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You
King of Heaven in humility, I bow
As Your love
In wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You've made a way
For all to enter in
I have heard You call my name
I have heard the song of love that You sing
So, I will let You draw me beyond the shore
Into Your grace, Your grace
As Your love
In wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You've made a way
For all to enter in
You make me brave
You make me brave
You called me beyond the shore
Into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now
The love that made a way
You make me brave
You make me brave
You called me beyond the shore
Into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now
The promises You've made
This morning, as I was naming my boys before the Lord, I remembered the conversation about my son's favorite song. I asked the Lord "what about what my son told me? How do you want me to see that?" The Lord said the most incredible thing. I heard Him say right to my heart "I am calling him into my story, Tom, and I am making Him brave to live it out!"
Revelation is the final chapter of the Author's story (so far as it is written...the story will never end). It is the most symbolized book in the Bible, because it is the most feared book in the Bible. The story God is telling isn't mostly symbolic. It wasn't written with a bunch of "outs" and hidden clauses that you can escape through. God isn't afraid of His story for His beloved people! His story is intense, because it is a good story, BUT you don't need to be rescued from it. You just need to get a vision for your role in it and let the Lord make you brave.
You make me brave.
Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
God is an excellent author. It is actually one of the primary identities He has chosen to reveal Himself through...Author, Father, Husband, Faithful Witness...
Jesus IS His own story. He is the reality the Bible is relating...and He is the author of the words. He has chosen to express very specific facets of who He is in the story He has written for us to read. He is much more than His words, but Jesus actually is the literal Word. Jesus is the story God began in the garden:
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
The beginning of the story is very important, because it lays out the reason for the story. God's story is all about Immanuel...Jesus the Christ...the anointed one to rejoin God with man so that life could happen again. Right now, life is on "pause" until man is back face to face with His life source. That is what God called very good at the beginning of the story.
Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God filled the earth with His glory, planted a garden in the light of His glory, filled it with amazing and interesting life, then created for Himself the seeds of a royal family (Adam and Eve were the first of the billions God desired to include in His story) to govern over the garden with. God made man to share in not just the execution, but the very creation of the details of His story:
Genesis 2:19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
The fall of mankind interrupted life for mankind. It broke, in many ways, our experience of the goodness of the story. We were made to live in what we would call "supernatural" life. From God's perspective, what mankind actually chose was "subnatural" existence. Supernatural is supposed to be natural. At the fall, life stopped, but God wasn't willing that the story end there. He made a way for life to begin again for anyone that wanted it:
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Mankind's experience of life WAS interrupted in the fall. Our existence changed. No longer was our role mostly about contributing to the story...it became more about clinging to the basics of existence. As man fell into a subnatural existence, separated from the source of life, what was simply amazingly natural for man became supernatural in our imaginations. What was natural for creation became supernaturally out of reach and creation began groaning for us to reconnect with God's story in full:
Romans 8:18-23 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
At the fall, pain and struggle took the place of peace and abundance, and labor and toil filled that void left by man's turning from the creative role he was designed for. We have a hard time imagining the state we were designed to live in. Paul said He experienced it once, and it was so glorious it would be illegal for Him to utter it. The fall paused real life:
Genesis 3:14-19 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
Mankind's life was interrupted, but God's story never stopped. Since the day of the fall, the Father has been searching for anyone willing to love life with Him...to see this time as simply the rising action of the drama...to see the conflict needs to be resolved, and that a falling action and denouement are coming. God is looking for anyone willing to resist the urge to write their own story and connect with His. His story is the best one that could ever be written. It isn't about "your best life now"...it is about wholeheartedly agreeing with the story that will restore real life.
Supernatural is going to be natural again, the devil and demons are going to be removed, the happily ever after is yet to come. God is literally searching the earth for those willing to enter in to His story. Getting "saved" isn't the same as entering in to the story. It is simply the minimum requirement for getting into the story again.
Getting saved and then embracing ALL of the story is what God is looking for. God is searching for those that will take the time to learn the story He has written, and then find their spot in it, instead of trying to write their own story in the middle of His:
II Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
Asa, the one whom the Author was addressing in this passage, found himself in an amazing role in God's story...but then, when a subplot of conflict began to unfold, Asa decided, in fear, that rather than continue to agree with the Author...to learn his next scene...he would rather tell the author how the story ought to go. Through Asa's foolish choice, God told us all a basic truth about existence: God is looking to show Himself strong on behalf of anyone who embraces the story the way God has written it.
Right now many want to write their own story at the time the climax is rapidly being reached, all the while the greatest story ever told is literally calling them into their role, if they would actually choose to enter in. Now is the time when the heroes of the story will be revealed! You really want to learn and embrace the specifics of the end time scene we are entering into!
You live in the hour of the climax, when the conflict is about to be resolved. Satan is desperate to steal, kill, and destroy. The only way he can do any of those things is to get you to write a different story than the Author is telling.
The story God is telling is already written in great detail. The only unknown is MY role in it...and your role in it.
Many take the simple and plain words of the story and try to make them different. They form complex theological arguments in order to rationalize a different story than the simple, yet intense story, God has written and is inviting us into. The reason many try to escape the story is their fear of losing the scraps they are clinging to because they aren't convinced the Author is really good, knows what he is doing, and is actually powerful enough to keep His promises.
What do we have in our hands that we are so afraid to lose? subnatural existence.
Many are trapped by a fear, expressed or not, that the Author may not be that good, or may not have written a very good story because it sounds scary, or that the Author maybe doesn't love THEM as much as the famous ones who said yes to His story...the Noahs, and Davids, and Daniels, and Peters, and Pauls...
These fears are chains from the enemy...lies meant to steal YOUR role in the story by convincing you that God's story couldn't be that wonderful for you. It can be, if you want it to be. God's eyes are literally searching for anyone who loves the story, no matter what it says, because they believe the Author is good, knows how to write, is actually powerful, and loves THEM.
God mercy, power, and love wouldn't be demonstrated by removing you from the perfect story he wrote just for you. God isn't afraid of hurting you with His story! He wants you, by your embracing of the story, to invite as many in to THEIR role as possible.
God has a glorious role for anyone willing to choose to agree with Him, but those who refuse HIS story will get their own. For love, God refuses to make anyone embrace His story. If you want another, you will get your own story of existence absent His Authorship...absent life.
God, because of the truth of who He is, isn't going to come bring life to YOUR story that doesn't agree with who He wrote you to be. God won't pretend your story is better, He won't take second place. If you refuse His glorious story, you will get your own sad, subnatural, and lifeless story. Satan is trying to market your own boring story of comfort to you! But your own lesser story can only end one way: your death. This is what the devil is selling anyone arrogant, scared, or confused enough to buy it. But, there is already a perfect story written for you if you want it.
If you are scared of the ending of the story God has written for you, it is because you don't understand, or believe the Author. The Author of the story is perfectly powerful and perfectly loving. Where these two realities are true, there is nothing to be afraid of.
When you are the beloved of the Author, the story always goes well for you.
A knowledge of His love will make you bold to see the true story in truth! You know you have grown in love for God when you are able to look at His whole story, not symbolize any of it away, or invent a false plot that takes you out of the intensity, and boldly look forward to it unfolding:
I John 4:17-18 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Yesterday I was struck by a conversation with one of my kids. We were driving and he wanted me to hear a song he kept telling us was his favorite song. As we were listening to the song, he said "dad, do you know why this is my favorite song?" He then proceeded to tell me that God had revealed to him that this song would be being played by him as a significant, but admittedly scary, portion of the Bible was being played out. The role God has invited my son into is intense, at first I think it scared him, but now he is embracing it.
While he was relating what he believes his role is, I was tempted to calm him down a little...you know, don't let him get too excited...At first, as he mentioned a part of Revelation I know well, I started to worry that he would be scared if he thought about this too much, or disappointed if this didn't really happen. I wanted to pull him down back to earth a little...but thankfully, the Lord stopped me. I heard the Lord say "just listen."
My son believes he has a role in comforting many people through a very intense moment in human history. The moment my son has in his mind...the intense moment God has shown my son that his own part of the story will touch is a role in this moment:
Revelation 11:7-13 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
God has used a song to strengthen my son in this role. My son's current favorite song is the song "You Make Me Brave" by Amanda Cook. Its a great song, but it is also a very powerful truth for anyone willing to let it be. This is the song the Lord has used to connect my son to his role in the Author's story. Here are the lyrics:
I stand before You now
The greatness of Your renown
I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You
King of Heaven in humility, I bow
As Your love
In wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You've made a way
For all to enter in
I have heard You call my name
I have heard the song of love that You sing
So, I will let You draw me beyond the shore
Into Your grace, Your grace
As Your love
In wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You've made a way
For all to enter in
You make me brave
You make me brave
You called me beyond the shore
Into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now
The love that made a way
You make me brave
You make me brave
You called me beyond the shore
Into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now
The promises You've made
This morning, as I was naming my boys before the Lord, I remembered the conversation about my son's favorite song. I asked the Lord "what about what my son told me? How do you want me to see that?" The Lord said the most incredible thing. I heard Him say right to my heart "I am calling him into my story, Tom, and I am making Him brave to live it out!"
Revelation is the final chapter of the Author's story (so far as it is written...the story will never end). It is the most symbolized book in the Bible, because it is the most feared book in the Bible. The story God is telling isn't mostly symbolic. It wasn't written with a bunch of "outs" and hidden clauses that you can escape through. God isn't afraid of His story for His beloved people! His story is intense, because it is a good story, BUT you don't need to be rescued from it. You just need to get a vision for your role in it and let the Lord make you brave.
You make me brave.
Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
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