“Come Up Here And I Will Show You Things . . .”

Revelations 4:1

If God literally came to your door, knocked, and you opened the door and heard Him say these words to you, what would be your honest, initial reaction? Would you ask why? Would you ask for details so that you can make a decision? Be prepared? “Show you things …” is pretty vague. In my Bible’s version, it says, “…I will show you what must happen after this…” Honestly, I’m not a person who anticipates that a looming mystery experience is going to be good. I’d like some details. I’d like to be sure I will be safe.

John’s experience was part of an interaction with God in which he glimpsed Heaven . . . the future . . . and God’s Throne. But his experience was the result of his choice to cooperate with God. It required trust on John’s part. It required stepping into the unknown.

God invites each of us . . . His followers . . . to “Come up Here…” and experience things we would have never otherwise known. The lessons we learn are not simply from a book. We learn by doing. . . whether we have “done it right, or done it wrong.” The Key is that we choose to join Him in whatever lies ahead. It requires trust.

We can choose to say, “No.” But what will we have missed? What will someone else have missed because we did not accept the Invitation to “Come up Here. . .”?

Personally, the most memorable and meaningful experiences in my life were not easy . . . not safe . . . not in isolation by myself . . . not as an observer. They were experiences that often required me to go against what would be comfortable, safe, or personally appealing. I left a lot of “skid marks” along my journey. But in the midst of the struggle, or hardship, or pain, I had the certainty of God’s Presence throughout the experience.

God shows us glimpses of what He is doing . . . in our own lives and in the lives of others. . . as we step up . . . “Come Up” . . . in obedience to Him.

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