Glimpse of Heaven

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! Psalm 133:1

Have you ever had your body flip out on you and you suddenly started crying for no apparent emotional reason? This happened to me a lot while I was at Urbana, a huge student mission conference, over Christmas break. I've discovered that this is how the Holy Spirit likes to manifest itself in me. At Urbana God totally rocked my socks off and I wanted to share the most awesome thing he showed me while I was there. I prayed a lot that I would not miss the reason God provided for me to go to Urbana. During one of these prayers God led me to Exodus 24:16:

For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.

Notice that Moses sat on the mountain for six days before the Lord spoke to him. I took this to mean God would speak to me on the last day of Urbana, and he did on the bus ride home in the middle of the night! All week God did encourage me and speak to me, but on that bus ride he revealed the main reason he wanted me at Urbana.

I woke up at night, or had been awake, I'm not sure you can call the dozing you do on buses real sleep. I got out some music to listen to and tried not to move as I was squished between two boys in the back row where there are three seats. Suddenly I felt this incredible contracting in my chest, right above my heart, like my soul was being filled with the Holy Spirit, yet it couldn't contain it and it kept overflowing. Suddenly I had tears going down my face and flashes of the Native American dancer who danced unto Jesus at the conference. I just kept thinking how beautiful it was . . . How beautiful that God could use every culture to praise him so uniquely, yet together with everyone else.

At Urbana we sang praises in several languages and saw Native American, Hawaiian, Hip Hop, rap, spoken word and contemporary dancing all being used to glorify Jesus. People from all over the world are serving him! I got to stand next to a French speaking African and a guy from Bangladesh and attempt to sing in Chinese together, it was incredible. Over 130 nations were represented at Urbana; over 22 00o students seeking God together.

I had been prayer to God to show me his power. I wanted to see it so badly and I thought it would come in the form of some miraculous physical healing, but God showed me his power in a far more profound way in the unity he showed me among all these different cultures. There were even two Asian groups of students whose cultures detest each other that reconciled during the conference. That's a miracle. Enemies joining together in love to serve Jesus. I long for that in Canada -true unity among different denominations, the French speaking, English speaking, and Native Americans; not just tolerance. God wants more than that for us.

As I thought about the beauty of this unity and God's people praising him in so many different ways, with my soul still being filled up with the Holy Spirit, and tears going down my face, God revealed to me why he brought me to Urbana. He wanted to give me this vision and experience worshiping with many other nations, this was my Glimpse of Heaven. It makes me long for heaven all the more and makes me even more excited about it!

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Revelation 7:9-10

I can't wait to worship in unity with all my brothers and sisters from around the world. Jesus can begin to bring this unity now to earth if you let him control your life. Take a risk and get to know someone from another culture, befriend your enemy, get involved in others lives and seek peace between races, social classes, age, and popularity status and especially among Christians who are arguing.

I believe this would rock Jesus' socks off as he spent part of his last evening prayer for unity among believers:

"My prayer is not for them [disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me [YOU], through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Rev. 17:20-21

Breath Peace in Jesus Name,
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