I can only imagine

prayerPower

by Mervyn Morelock, Lt. Colonel –

I’ve heard the haunting words of this song several times in the last few days. The song is about heaven…what will it be like? “Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you, Jesus, or in awe of you, be still? Will I sing, ‘Hallelujah’? Will I be able to speak at all?” It’s made me wonder, imagine, about heaven.

I’ve become acutely aware of how precious and fragile life is, and how important it is to prepare for the day when we leave this earth to meet Jesus Christ. In the last few days, several friends—active officers, retired officers, soldiers, neighbors, friends, (more than six, as I write)—have been promoted to Glory. They don’t have to imagine anymore; they’ve met the Master and heard his welcome.

We don’t really know a lot about heaven. The Scripture give us hints, but we still have to imagine what heaven will be like. What will we see? How will we feel? We have some assurances given us in the Scriptures. We must be prepared for life’s final journey.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen (Eph 3:16-21 NIV).

Our prayers ought to be filled with a faith that imagines God is on his way to answer our prayers with joy and victory and love. It is our faith that imagines what God is going to do and that he will answer our prayers. Those Salvationists who have recently been promoted to Glory now know, theirs is no imagining—they have met the Master face to face.

This is a time of new beginnings for The Salvation Army! New Western Territorial Leaders Commissioners Jim and Carolyn Knaggs have already made an impact in the territory with visits to divisional centers and their leadership of the Western Bible Conference. New officers are settling into their first appointments and seasoned officers are adjusting to new places of service in corps and at headquarters.

The recent Western Bible Conference continues to be an influence as 520 delegates return to their corps refreshed and renewed after a mountaintop experience of blessing! It can be the beginning of a new spirit of revival in our territory!

The new Session of cadets, Friends of Christ, welcomed this month, is another encouragement to the Army in the West. This session of committed and called men and women are poised to use their lives to make a difference in our territory and the world.

Let’s pray, asking God to use us and help us live so that people will see Christ in us—in a greater way than we could ever imagine!