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- Written by: Don Goulding
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”
Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means Teacher). (John 20:15, 16)
Mary was drowning in a cauldron of confusion. The God-man who had cast seven demons from her now lay crucified in a tomb. So, was Jesus no true king? Was her personal horror about to return?
God heard Mary’s aching heart. He stopped his business across billions of galaxies and snatched the flailing woman from her nightmare. To rescue Mary, he spoke her name through Jesus, the image of the invisible God. That one word contained an explosive message.
“You know this voice and its power. I AM bigger than death. I AM sovereign over your demons. I AM the champion of your heart. Trust me.” All of that was contained in the word “Mary.”
Mary had heard her name thousands of times, but this time, on the lips of Jesus, it pulled her up from the blackest depths to gasp for air. There could be no mistake, it was her name carried on the unique timbre that could only be Jesus of Nazareth—resurrected.
God has been grossly misrepresented by humans that drew their conceptions of him from imagination rather than from revelation. He is often portrayed as distant and capricious. That is as far from reality as you can get, because God celebrates each freckle for every one of his children. The individuality of his love is the defining brilliance of our relationship with him.
This moment, in this place, our Father observes my life and yours. He sees the anguish and hears the confusion. By way of relief, he wraps eternal blessing into a single word. The gift is passed to the Spirit of Jesus, who leans close to our ear, and delivers the package.
God speaks our name.
Prayer: Great I AM, I hear you speak my name.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place;
he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth. (Micah 1:3) (NIV)
During the beginning phases of revival in the Makonde district of Zimbabwe, the Lord spoke through this verse in Micah. About every ten kilometers, the green-brown savannah is broken by sizable hills called kopjes. For generations, natives worshiped ancestors from these high places. The Spirit of the Most High revealed that dark forces administered misery from these strongholds, and it was time for a purge.
For the next several months, prayer warriors made the rounds to climb the kopjes, throw down false altars, and reclaim the surrounding villages for Jesus. Demons fled and the Spirit of God restored hearts and called new believers.
There is a personal application for the reclamation of high places. When I look across my life, what dominates? Where do my thoughts run to most often? Those are my high places. They might be wholesome, like family and ministry, or sinful, like addiction and anger. Wholesome or sinful, it doesn’t matter because God alone belongs on the sacred high places. It’s time to purge these centers of worship, and reclaim them for God Almighty.
I bow my heart before the Savior. I know the primary focus of my devotion has not been on him. Something else is on top of my kopje. Holding this high place before him, I acknowledge the desecration.
“Please God, cleanse this place and name it as your own.”
Then I wait in silence.
In the spiritual realm, a low rumble begins.
The mountains melt beneath him
and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope. (Micah 1:4) (NIV)
My heart is reduced to nothing but Jesus, and he seals my altar with his name. It is confirmed, my high place belongs to the LORD Most High. Righteousness and peace return to their rightful places.
Prayer: Mighty Redeemer, reclaim the high places in my heart.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
This is the solemn pronouncement of the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts doors no one can open … (Revelation 3:7)
For thousands of years, men searched for the key. Music and laughter streamed from under the door, but outside in the stinging cold, judgment waited in darkness.
Abraham, Moses, and David hungered after the key. In Solomon’s day, the door was still shut. He had untold wealth and the finest intellect on earth, but none of those would crack the door. Solomon’s conclusion—“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Everything is meaningless!’” (Ecclesiastes 12:8) (NIV)
Then, at the perfect moment in history, after men had exhausted every effort to open the lock, the key fell from heaven. Tumblers fell into place, and the door swung wide. Death stayed outside. And along with eternal life, the Messiah opened purpose and hope, growth and love. Every tumbler of life was released where it engaged Jesus.
It’s been one hundred generations since the key fell, and now it’s my turn on the timeline of history. What those before me sought with tears, I take for granted. I was born with the key in my hand, so I don’t even bother to fit it into the lock. Apathy is my most infernal curse.
I have the key. The Key! I have access to every answer. All of life is open to me for a twist of my wrist. Solomon, with his wealth and brains, didn’t have what I have—the key that opens life’s meaning.
But will I turn the lock and go in?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, come unlock every part of my life.