Echo

A few nights ago, I asked a group of friends to go to bed meditating on one scripture which contains a characteristic of God. I chose Isaiah 51:15.

For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Isaiah 51:15 (NLT)

After dreaming on this I woke up with one word and continued to dwell on his one word: Echo.

A few months ago (last end of October/start of November) I had a dream about a tsunami. This tsunami was the favor of God about to disrupt the landscape. I have remained planted in this promise and I now believe God asked me to listen to the sound of waves….the echo. See a wave isn’t just one; it can’t be. There is a ripple and echo effect creating a rhythm, a pulse, a cadence. God in his splendor and generosity revealed another promise. Another level of his goodness: He is promising an echo of favor in wave after wave, tsunami after tsunami, of his blessing, joy, deep richness.  

Then this morning!

I opened my bible to a random page (sometimes those adventures are the best). I started reading in Romans 7 and stopped and soaked in Romans 8:32. Watch God!

I was reading in the Passion Translation and Romans 8:32 says: For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all,^[a] he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give.

God will not withhold from us anything else he has to give. Can you imagine the storehouses of heaven?! Can you even list all that he has in his procession?!?

If we ask for direction (which we know he has to give because his word is a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our path), this is so much smaller than giving and watching his greatest treasure brutally crucified on a cross. If we ask for healing (which we know he has as his word says over and over I will heal. I will restore you to health and heal your wounds), this is so much smaller than giving and watching his greatest treasure brutally crucified on a cross.  

BUT WAIT; It had one of those lovely little foot notes. What did the foot note say:

[a] Romans 8:32 This is an intentional echo of Gen. 22:16. Although God spared Abraham’s son, Isaac, he would not spare his own Son, Jesus Christ.

This is an intentional echo. The bold, underline, and supersize clearly added first by God in my heart and then by me for this post ;)

God knows that I struggle not with knowing that he can, but that he will….like he might choose not to….it is awful and wrong thinking and I know better, but I have been working on this (with Him). I know being good, kind, generous are not choices he makes, they are his very makeup/character/being….

And what does God do: He sets an EXTRA emphasis on the promise to echo tsunamis of favor (as if the promise itself were not MORE than enough!) pointing out that he is making this promise, keeping it, and fulfilling it with intent!! (for this legal studies/law girl – with intent is a game changer; an absolute game changer! If you can prove intent, game over, slam dunk, case closed!) And what does Genesis 22:16 say you ask?    

¹⁶ “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. ¹⁸ And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:16 (NLT)

- I swear by my own name (God’s name!)

- I will certainly bless you (no doubt choose!)

- conquer the cities of their enemies (drive out the enemy from our cities!! They are ours!)

THEN

THEN

When I went to save this (sometimes I draft what I want to share n a post or blog) this is the picture I saw:

Motivated

Settled

Echo

Motivated Settled Echo = Intentional Echo! A certain tsunami of favor to be repeated!

This is Love.