"A Vision of the Golden Shovel"
Tiffany Ann Lewis, Rexford, NY
The Elijah List
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1
Here's my heart Lord
Here's my heart Lord
Here's my heart Lord
Take all of me...
I had a glorious vision of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem during a time of prayer while these words were being sung. In the vision, I was standing at the entrance of the temple facing the brazen altar and the whole court of God was before me and it was alive with worship.
The images changed quickly from scene to scene and suddenly the smoke that had been rising steadily from the altar of sacrifice, died down and the people went home. It was then, in the stillness of the courtyard, that I saw Jesus, our High Priest, come out from the Holy Place with a golden shovel in His hand. He went quickly and purposefully to the brazen alter and scooped up the ashes and carried them inside the Holy Place. (Photo via Wikipedia)
The vision ended as quickly as it started but something about the intensity that the Lord had while He was scooping the ashes continued to grip my heart. There was a protectiveness and tenderness to His actions. I sensed Jesus cherished those precious ashes. You see, He knows firsthand that the Altar of Sacrifice is not always a pleasant place to be therefore, He is tender and sympathetic to the pain of the process. And it is a process, however, in Jesus, nothing is lost.
Even the searing pain has a purpose. Even the ashes have a purpose. Jesus was bringing the ashes into the Holy Place to make something beautiful from the hearts offered up to Him in faith on the altar of sacrifice. Selah...
Jesus Picked Up Our Ashes...
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me... to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." Isaiah 61:1a;3
Now, I know what you're thinking... it wasn't a golden shovel that the priest used to bring the coals into the holy place... it was a brass shovel. This is true however, I think there was a reason that the Lord showed me a golden shovel in the vision verses the bronze one in Scripture. Let me explain.
In Scripture bronze symbolizes strength, judgement, and captivity. Gold on the other hand represent rarity, purity and God's deity. Using a gold verses bronze shovel reveals, I believe, how precious the lives that we offer up to Him are. They may not be lives that are perfect or free from failure, but a broken, humble heart the Lord will never despise.
You are probably familiar with this Psalm written by King David, the man after God's heart, after his horrific sin of killing Uriah to cover committing adultery with his wife, and which was revealed (see 2 Samuel 11). What David had done was displeasing to the Lord but his sincere repentance wasn't. I believe his repentance was precious to the Lord and the very reason, in the vision, I saw the Lord Jesus come with a golden shovel, not a shovel of strong bronze judgement. (Photo via Wikipedia)
Many Believers today are stuck in their shame, feeling like the Lord despises them because of their sin. Instead of being set free with the truth of Romans 5:8 that "...God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us," they are stuck in "the shame of being a sinner" that Christ needed to die for.
Here is the core of the vision: there was no distain or judgement on the Lord's face as He scooped up the ashes. There was a look of joy and pleasure as He scooped up the precious ashes that come from our lives laid upon the altar of sacrifice in sweet surrender to Him.
Beloved, surrounded by all that ashes of our lives there is a burning ember that He will bring into the Holy Place and use to bring a sweet, smelling aroma to God from the altar of incense. Amen and Amen.
Tiffany Ann Lewis
Dancing With the Flame of the LORD Ministries
Dancing With the Flame of the LORD Ministries
Tiffany Ann Lewis is an enthusiastic Bible teacher with a unique focus on Biblical Hebrew and a worshiper of God whose heart has been awakened by a God who sees us in our shortcomings and loves us in spite of them all. He calls out to us so we can live fully free from the trappings of guilt and shame, because we are accepted in the Beloved, Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 1:6). She is passionate about empowering individuals through the Word of God, knowing it will instill a deeper devotion to Him and give them hope for the journey.
Tiffany Ann and her husband Rodney have been married for twenty-five years and have one darling daughter, Ashley, a glorious granddaughter, Gloriana, and two pups that are also a part of their precious family. They live in upstate New York where Tiffany is pastor at Crossroadz Christian Church in Rexford, New York.
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