He is the promise land

Photographed by Garrett Randolph

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

-John 17:3

While Garrett and I were driving in Arizona, we were discussing the incredible heart of our God… how good He is to us in all His mercies, kindness, and personal generosity. As we exchanged praises to the Lord with each other, the atmosphere in the car started to shift rapidly. The Lord was inhabiting the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). Out of all the places we went on vacation and all the wonders we saw, there is no memory that compares in sweetness or power to this one for me. Before I realized I was crying, tears were already coming down my face. The Holy Spirit was allowing me to enjoy this ineffable truth even deeper than I have before:

Jesus Christ is THE Reward. God Himself is THE Promise Land. To be one with His Presence is THE Dream. To know Him is to be truly alive.

As children of God, we have access to experiencing eternal, abundant life not just for a moment, but as a lifestyle in communion with His Spirit. We were not created to live FOR eternity. We were created to live FROM eternity, because eternity is to know God and be one with Him. Jesus IS every dream come true, the fulfillment of all promises, and the satisfaction of every deep desire and longing. According to Scripture, True Life is not an event that will end, a feeling that will fade, or an experience that will be interrupted by troubles. Life is God Himself. Because of the the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, the veil has been torn and we no longer have to be separated from our Life Source (Hebrews 10: 19-22)! When Jesus was praying in John 17:3, He defined eternal life as knowing God—the Father and the Son. That word “knowing” is ginosko in Hebrew, which is actually the word used to describe the sexual intimacy between a man and woman. Living is not just about knowing who God is in our minds, it is about an experiential, relational exchange with God. We are able to have vulnerable relationship with the Father and Son through His Spirit that dwells within us!

Close your eyes and imagine what you dream of—what you are looking at in the distance, what you are hoping for, or what you are running towards in this life. Picture the deepest desire of your heart. If it is not simply God Himself, allow the Holy Spirit to gently set aside what you see and take you further. Allow Him to take you past the gifts and to the Giver, past the provision and to the Provider, past the promises and to the Promise Keeper, past created things and to the Creator, past what you think of as peaceful to the Prince of Peace. To know Him is to be filled with eternal life. Let us look upon His face and come alive!

“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

-John 4:13-14