Day 4: Jesus Re-Ascends His Throne

Welcome to Dripping: A 21-Day Encounter with the Anointed One!

The purpose of this devotional series is to help you encounter Jesus Christ face-to-face by invoking your holy imagination. Each day of this series, we will walk through three short exercises–see, read, and pray–that will help us draw closer to the Man, Jesus Christ Himself.

Here’s Day 4:

Today, we will read Hebrews 1:3-4:

“who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Matthew 17:1-8).

See:

Enter into this scene with me using your imagination. Give yourself a front-row seat:

You are in Heaven, and a party is going on. You’re not sure why, but all the angels around you are whooping and shouting, clapping one another on the back, and dancing. The streets of gold are packed, and a mile-long buffet table is laid out by the crystal sea.

Suddenly, the crowd parts and the Son of Man approaches.

You recognize Him from His description that you’ve read in the Bible, but He sure doesn’t look like any Man you’ve ever seen before. He is smiling, but you don’t want to get too close; flames are shooting out of His eyes. His hair is white and long; He looks very much like the Ancient of Days He is. He is fearsome and formidable.

Nevertheless, Jesus smiles as He approaches you. He slaps the angels high-fives as He walks past them, clapping some on the shoulder and pausing to embrace others. 

Finally, He reaches you.

He stands before you and you try to shrink back. The crowd is so thick behind you that there’s no place for you to retreat to, but you want to. Jesus is smiling and looking at you with such an affectionate gaze, and you want desperately to meet His eyes–but the fear and dread of Him consumes you and you’re not even sure you can stay on your feet. 

Suddenly, without saying a word, Jesus reaches out and takes your hand.

His touch is electric, and you feel power surging through your body as soon as His fingers touch yours. You lift your eyes to look at His, and His wide grin shocks you. Looking at that smile, though, you know that somehow you are safe, despite the flames of fire that still flash from His eyes.

Without saying anything, Jesus walks forward and pulls you behind Him. He has to pull you because you’re uncertain about what He wants, but you walk along willingly. You just don’t want to breach any rules or protocols here, and you have no idea what to expect.

Jesus leads you to a clearing.

In the back of the clearing, gazing out over the crystal sea, the buffet table, and the endless crowd of partygoers, you see two thrones.

You hesitate, but Jesus looks back at you and simply says, big smile intact, “Come on. It’s all right!” You continue forward with Him, but He’s still pulling you since the fear of God is on you now even more than before.

You look up at the thrones, and sitting on one of them is the brightest light you’ve ever seen. You know that Light is Father God. The other throne, however, is empty–and Jesus walks straight toward it.

Jesus leads you to the foot of the throne, and you pause. You both look up at Father, and Father looks down at you.

“Well done, My Son,” comes Father’s booming voice at last. “You have accomplished all that I have given You to do. Sit here at My right hand while I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

You feel the pride in Father’s voice, and joy wells up inside you. You know that Jesus is about to receive His inheritance, and you can’t wait for Him to feel the satisfaction of regaining His throne in Heaven! You try letting go of His hand so He can climb up onto the huge throne at Father’s right hand …

… But Jesus won’t let go of your hand.

You plant your feet firmly, not wanting to be pulled any closer.

You just want to look at Jesus and celebrate Him, joining with the partygoers in Heaven who are celebrating His finished work. But Jesus turns around and pulls your hand toward Himself even more firmly. “Come on,” He said. “You sit with Me here.”

You gasp in shock, and a thousand arguments well up inside you. This is JESUS’ throne, right beside Father God. Jesus’ place. Jesus’ time to rest and look with satisfaction upon His inheritance.

But Jesus, patient as always, looks deeply into your eyes with understanding.

“I know you don’t know what it feels like to rule and reign,” He said, “but you need to sit with Me here. This is where you belong–on this throne beside Me.”

“But Jesus,” you wonder silently, “I don’t want to be presumptuous–and I don’t want to get in the way of all the work You have to do, either!” You never even voice the words, but Jesus looks at you and you know He heard them. His response stuns you and makes tears roll down your face as He says:

“Please sit with Me here, on My throne. Anything less is disrespectful, for having you sit with Me here IS the inheritance I worked for.

And as for My work? It’s all done. It’s over, and I’ve won. You can sit down with Me now, and You can rest just like Me. It’s time to prop our feet up together and celebrate–not celebrate more works, but celebrate the fact that there are no more works for Me to do. Literally everything has been finished; I finished it all with My blood.”

Tears course unchecked down your face now, but you silently nod in agreement.

Jesus walks up the steps to His throne, a step ahead of you. He turns around and nods to you reassuringly, and you gather your courage and follow Him. 

He gathers His robes around Him, sits down, and leans back–hands behind His head as He smiles and surveys the celebration. He motions to His right side, and you sit down gingerly beside Him.

“Sit back and relax, my friend,” He says. “This is the life–the life our Father planned for us before the foundation of the world!”

You look around in wonder, gazing at the dancing partygoers, and look back ever so cautiously at Jesus. And suddenly, you realize that you’re exactly where Father always intended you to be.

Pray:

“Abba Father, I come to You in Jesus’ name.

Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. Thank You for saving me and giving me a good inheritance in Jesus.

Father, Your Word says that Jesus is sitting on His throne, His work all finished and His victory won. Your Word says He is resting while You make His enemies a footstool for Your feet, and Your Word says that I am seated with Christ in heavenly places.

Lord, I confess to You today that I have not acted like these things are true.

I have not joined in the praises of Jesus while taking my rest with Him. I have not put my trust in His finished work, simply walking in faith and following You with simple, childlike trust.

Instead, Abba Father, I have been striving and worrying.

I have been scratching and hen-pecking and laboring and doing everything I could to survive my life as if it all depended on me. I have not rested in You, and I have not rested in the finished work of the cross.

Father, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Forgive me for striving. Forgive me for worrying. Forgive me for NOT keeping my eyes on Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of my faith. Please forgive me for disrespecting You and Jesus with my actions, and forgive me for grieving Your Holy Spirit by my failure to trust and rest.

Father God, I ask in Jesus’ name that You would wash me and cleanse me with the blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit. Teach me to trust again, Father, and teach me to rest. Teach me how to rule and reign with Christ, and help me to remember that I am seated with Him–my Heavenly Brother and Savior–in heavenly places.

Father, I renounce worry.

Please help me to be anxious for nothing; but in everything, with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to make my requests known to You. And Your peace, which passes all understanding, will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. 

Thank You, Abba Father. I choose to rest in You today; to trust You; and to ENJOY being seated with Jesus in heavenly places, delighting in His finished work in my life and in everything that concerns me.

Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

Related: Read this short series about how much God loves you, and how to give your life to Jesus and receive forgiveness for all of your sins and a new life in Christ.

Did you enter into this scene with me about Jesus’ home-going party using your own holy imagination? What did you see? How is Holy Spirit speaking into your heart right now? Leave a comment below!