Heaven’s View
By Kendra Osborn
"The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth.” Psalm 102:19
There is something about the holidays that touches the very depths of our soul. The time between Christmas and New Year’s and the day’s leading up to them stir within us feelings of some kind. For some it is feelings of joy, hope, love and looking ahead. For others it is feelings of despair, loss, loneliness and a time of looking back.
This past week has been one full of entertaining friends and family and celebrating the birthday of my oldest son who turned eleven. Through it all I have laughed and had moments of joy, I have also felt a deep sense of sadness and loneliness. When you’ve experienced pain in your life it’s hard to not feel every emotion that wells up within you, especially during the holidays.
I was returning from a funeral recently thinking about the celebration of life through death and through birth. I am going this week to welcome a newborn baby into the world and thought how I have said good-bye to one’s life and hello to another’s all in the same week.
Then I think of this scripture and I am in awe of our most Holy God who is high and lifted up, leaning over the edge of His throne to look down upon the earth and everything in it. He never sleeps; He is ever-present and all knowing. I am so thankful He hasn’t forgotten every tear, every broken heart or bleeding soul and His view from heaven captures it all.
I have a picture someone sketched that represents this scripture so well and in my mind it is a beautiful picture of heaven’s view and what God sees from His sanctuary. This picture reminds me that God was there the day I lost my husband and He had such the advantage because His view was over all and above all where mine was from one angle. How I cling to the fact that God sees the extended canvas of my life and He knows what the finished picture will look like as he continues to reveal the next scene for me.
This holiday season my heart is heavy for so many of those who have lost someone they love or are facing losing someone. I know the holidays will never be the same but I encourage you to remember God is on the throne and He has never lost control. He was in control on the day of Calvary and He is the same today as He was yesterday. He never changes. He wept as He looked down at His Son hanging on the cross and He weeps today over those who are hurting, lonely, and feeling hopeless.
Pray with me: Abba Father. Daddy, how I come before your throne and enter your sanctuary with praise and adoration on my lips. Father God, thank you for dancing, singing and weeping over me in all my times of joy and sadness. Thank you for your Son, Jesus, who hung on the cross for my sake and as His blood and water flowed down, that they were to cover me and make me new. Washed by His blood I am no longer hopeless, alone, or lost.
I pray today, Father God, for every person who has or is experiencing the sting of death, divorce, sickness, loneliness, despair, addiction, and anything that is not of you. I pray for freedom and wholeness to enter in and that they may be filled with your righteousness and would find themselves in a new place of brokenness, brokenness that is of You God and not of the world.
I pray You would bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Lord, let my pain bring You glory. May I display Your splendor and I pray healing would come quickly. Breathe into me new life, come and fill me up to overflowing. I pray for peace and joy to consume me and that in all my troubles my joy would know no bounds.
Lord bless and keep every person reading this and take them into Your arms and pull them close during this season which can be so painful to so many. I pray they would be able to hear Your heart beat as they melt into Your chest and as You breathe on them they would be filled with Your grace and peace this holiday season.
As your word says, ‘For it is written: “As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” ’ In the name above all names, Yeshua, I pray. Amen.