By Pastor James Durham
The presence of the Lord was strong during our worship time this morning. In the words of my wife, Gloria, it was “electrifying.”
As we sang the words of the song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord,” I covered my face with a tallit and sought to see in the Spirit. Then I had a strange experience. My right eye (spiritual eye) could only see darkness, but my left (spiritual) eye saw light.
I tried to shift my spiritual focus, but this kept coming back. Then I heard the Lord saying, “The authorities of the world are in deep darkness.”
I understood that the right side represents authority, power and might. In the natural realm, all of these are in deep darkness. I heard the Lord say, “The authorities of this world do not know what to do.”
I thought about Isaiah 60:2a, “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people;”
The power of the darkness was the exact opposite of the power of God this morning. Strength has been turned to weakness. Human power has been turned to impotence. Natural authority is ineffective today.
My thoughts went to what was happening with my left eye, and I sought to understand what this meant. Then I heard the Holy Spirit saying, “Light has been given to those who faithfully serve the Lord.”
I thought about the words of the Lord in Isaiah 60:2b-3, “But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
This all came after I prayed for Shalom in Jerusalem and in all of Israel. The light of the Lord is falling again on the people in His land, Israel, and it is calling to the people of all nations to come to the light of His rising.
Then I heard the Lord speaking about the significance of the left side. It is the side of relationships and love. Then I heard the Lord speak the words He spoke in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I remembered that I had also prayed to hear what the Lord is saying today, so we can say it and to see what the Lord is doing today, so we can do it. The light of the Lord is shining powerfully on those who are obedient to His commands today.
We are being called to love as He loves today. I heard the Lord saying, “People in darkness cannot receive what you teach or preach today. You will only cause offense if you do this today. Today, they will know the truth by your love.
I heard the Lord saying again, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Spend time today loving others without any other kind of teaching.”
A few thoughts occurred to me: “Try it! You many like it! Try it! It will work because the Lord is in it!”
