Here As It Is... // Micah

Every once in a while we catch a glimpse of how things were meant to be, how they will one day be. A moving gesture, a restorative interaction, a perfect moment plays out and we think, “This is how it could be.” You see, we were made with capacity to both perceive what is wrong and long for a day when all things will be right. After all, we were made for earth yet designed for heaven.

This reality has been strongly impressed on my heart this week. My wife and I began it in Haiti with a gathering of Vapor Ministries leaders from Africa, Haiti and the US. This eclectic collection of Christ followers, all committed to restorative work in poverty rich places, gathered at our regional center in Haiti. Representatives from 15 distinct tribes and over 20 languages convened for a worship, training, and cross pollination event. It was other worldly. At one point I caught a glimpse of Heaven come down as Revelations 7:9 principally unfolded before us. Passionate Multi-Lingual worship broke out in this multi-ethnic gathering. We were all focused on the Worthy Lamb who came to make all things new and is now ushering in a new heaven and new earth. In that moment Heaven bent low as intense praise burst forth in one of the most unlikely places, a third world environment actively being made new. It was magical.

I have learned to cherish and pursue moments like these. Moments where the values of Heaven control the atmosphere and Christ’s presence is chiefly prized. Moments where we see Him high and lifted up yet coming down. As we reflect today on His first coming I pray we commit afreash to ushering in His second coming by pursuing his mission. May we join Him in making it “here as it is... in Heaven.”

Revelation 7:9-10 “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. They were shouting with a great roar. Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

Mathew 6:10 “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

- Micah McElveen

Created For Wonder // Micah

As the father of a very curious, highly risk tolerant, 2 yr old boy I have been relearning the beauty of wonder. To Arrow, the world is a playground and each morning a new opportunity to ride its slides and test its swings. Again and again, the corners of his mouth turn up and his eyes sparkle as he tastes, touches and sees things that delight him. I have formed a daily goal, to have his eyes catch mine in a moment of wonder.

When you think about it, we really are born curious and designed to experience life walking through the doors to which that curiosity leads. Curiosity begs, "What does that taste like? What would this feel like?" Upon enjoying, wonder says, "Now that one was a winner." On this journey, we call life, wonder surfaces when our senses are lit up by discovery.

Yet, along the way, most of us tend to find this orientation slipping from our view. In the grind, this substance rich essential is crushed beyond the point of recognition. We lose sight of thriving and exchange it for just surviving. Sin and weights drown out, stifle and pervert this God born posture. Life, indeed, tends to knock the wonder out of us.

This is a travesty, as wonder is a key to unlocking joy, and joy in God is "our strength." Wonder is a lynchpin for genuine worship. Wonder reminds the soul that though we walk in a broken world we live before a perfect God. It whispers, "Though the fall ushered in a world of bad, God made all things good and is 'making all things new.'" God gave us the capacity to interact with His goodness in a way that transcends the mess and allows us to be moved to the core. God intended that we be so deeply impressed that awe would flood our souls. He designed it all in such a way that we would come to points where the most natural thing to do is, stand jaw dropped, convinced that The One behind whatever we just experienced must be indescribable.

I believe with all my heart that our great God and Savior desires us to interact with His goodness in a way that leads us to see His greatness. In the end, He reminds us of what He intended from the beginning when we remember we were Created For Wonder.

Psalms 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!"

Job 37:14b "...Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!"

Psalms 77:14 "You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations."

Psalm 145:5 "On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate."

- Micah McElveen