Valerie Rae Hanneman
John 14:1-3(KJV) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
John 14:1-3 (NIV) "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”
Sometimes this world just gets to me. It’s not that I am facing a disaster like a car repair - or my children have gone off the deep end - or the job pressures are unbearable or anything else like that. It is that the world is being irritating and I am not in the mood to be irritated. So I leave this planet for awhile. No - not physically! Physically, I am still here, but mentally and spiritually I step out of the realm of the secular and into the realm of the eternal. In other words, I go visit my Dad. He never has time for me - He has eternity for me, so if I am with Him for a few minutes of prayer, rest and renewal or with Him for an hour or more, He welcomes me with open arms. In one of my recent visits with Him I was reading John in the NIV and I came across these favored and well-loved verses of mine. Only, in the NIV the wording is a little different then the ones I memorized in the King James Version. The Kings James talks about mansions - the NIV talks about rooms. Now I don’t know about you, but when I think of mansions, I think Bill Gates. When I think of rooms I think of Budget 8's. The two don’t seen to be hardly compatible - do they?
Then I got to dreaming a little dream about my mansion - what would I need to have in it? I don’t think I will need a bathroom. My body will be absolutely perfect, no toothbrush, face cream, shower or toilet necessary. I will never have a bad hair day again, there will be no need for the multitude of hair products under my sink. Because my face will be beautiful, glowing with the radiance of Jesus, I will have no need of the makeup in the drawers. Yep, looks like the bathroom is out. Revelation 21:25 says that there is no night in the New Jerusalem and that God’s glory is the light of it - so if there isn’t any night - would we need a bedroom? Probably not. What does that leave - the kitchen? I am not sure we will need a kitchen, after all we are all invited to partake of the Marriage feast of the Lamb. We won’t need to be doing our own cooking - besides - cooking means dishes, and doing dishes just isn’t my idea of heaven! As best as I can figure - that leaves hall closets and the living room. We will be clothed in the snow-white garments of Christ’s righteousness - so we won’t need a closet to store different outfits - or raincoats and umbrellas - or vacuum cleaners.
So what does that leave me in my mansion in the New Jerusalem? It leaves me with just one room. Maybe there is not that much difference between the KJV and NIV versions, after all.
What a room my mansion/room must be! I will hazard a guess that it makes Bill Gates’ mansion look like a dog house. A nice dog house - but a dog house nonetheless. I also know that God has promised that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived of what He has prepared for those who love Him. I know that it is impossible for me to even begin to fully imagine what is waiting for me. In fact, in my mind’s eye, I see Father on the throne, His eyes sparkling with laughter as I daydream in His presence. He is laughing because He knows that - as always - what He has for me is so much more than I could ever dream of.
Actually - why do I even need a room? I can’t imagine spending any time in it. If I could be listening to Moses tell about what it was like to cross the Red Sea on dry land - why would I choose to be in a room? Would I choose to stay in my room when the angels are getting together an impromptu praise session. Somehow I don’t think so. And here is the big one - would I stay in my room when I could take my place around the Throne with every tribe, tongue and nation? No way - I have waited too long to be there.
I love dreaming a little dream of what my home is like. Even more, I love dreaming a little dream of finally being at Jesus’ feet, reaching out to touch Him in wonder, then feeling the touch of His hand on me. That one is powerful.
What is the purpose of me dreaming my little dreams - does it change the irritating world I am in? No, it doesn’t change the world - but it changes me. For whatever length of time that I am in my dream world my focus changes. No matter where my dream starts - wondering about my mansion/room, thinking about the taste of food at the Feast, wondering I’m going to sound like when I finally have the perfect voice - my dream always ends up the same - with me in the presence of God, worshiping Him. When I leave the warmth and joy of my dreaming and come back to the cold reality of this world, the world has lost it’s ability to irritate me. My focus has been changed off of what is irritating in this world and onto my life - my real life, my dreamed of life, my eternal life in Jesus’ presence.
Does life get to you once in awhile? Step away from it and into the presence of Father. When you have been with the Eternal - the temporary loses it’s power.
Precious LORD Jesus, Just as I know that my dreams of home do not begin to scratch the surface of reality, I know that the joy that I imagine when I am at Your feet in worship does not begin to scratch the reality of that moment. I long to be at Your feet - never to leave You.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministries of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at March 2, 2007 10:13 PM