The King is coming. Do you know Him?

All of us at some point in our lives have had traumatic experiences. Life has a way of forcing us to cope with difficulty, pain, sorrow, and stress.

Some people seem to come through every test stronger... and rise above every tumult. Others appear to be in danger of drowning in their sorrow ...of being totally overcome by seemingly insurmountable circumstances.

What makes the difference?

I believe a large part of the answer is a matter of perspective... the point-of-view we have of life and its challenges.

Let me share with you a beautiful experience of Dr. Van Impe's and mine which helps reveal the way I feel we should look at life's problems. It happened when a special friend of the ministry called and asked if we'd like to ride in his hot air balloon.

Of course we said yes. And Mr. John Raya, of Father and Son Construction Co. in Rochester, Michigan, set a time for us to meet him.

So on a glorious afternoon, we climbed into the passenger basket and looked up at the beautiful blue-and-white balloon billowing fifty or sixty feet above us. My pulse was pounding with excitement ...and I have to admit the tiniest bit of apprehension gripped my stomach.

But not for long! With a blast of flame from a propane burner above our heads, additional hot air was pumped into the balloon... the crew turned loose of the basket... and we took off -- up, up, and away!

What a sensation! What a thrill! If you've ever gone up in a balloon, you know what I mean -- it's an unforgettable experience.

Ballooning is nothing like flying in an airplane, enclosed by glass and aluminum. Instead, you begin to feel like a free spirit -- there is a distinct sense of physical disembodiment as you feel yourself floating upward, leaving the earth, rising higher and higher.

A new way to see!

First of all, I was astonished at what I could see. There was more sky than earth! Once above the walls and enclosures of man-made structures, a panorama of incredible beauty and unlimited space unfolded all around me. I remember thinking that this must be like seeing things from God's viewpoint.

In their now miniature size, things that appeared so important on the ground seemed somehow insignificant. Dented car fenders, a burned-out house, rushing traffic -- everything seemed to blend into a much larger background. The walls and fences separating people diminished before my eyes and faded into mere lines in a magnificent tapestry of soft color and interwoven patterns.

I began to see a bigger picture of life itself. Suddenly I understood as never before how even events that seem like disasters close-up can actually disappear into the perfect pattern of God's master plan for our lives. And rather than being overwhelmed, it is possible to accept each circumstance as a purposeful part of God's will... of His greater good for us!

How good it is to develop our spiritual sight in faith. If only we would make it a practice to allow the Holy Spirit to lift us above ourselves and see our situation from God's viewpoint.

A new way to hear!

The second thing I discovered up in the balloon was that in addition to a new way to look, there was also a new way to listen.

As a musician, I am very conscious of sound -- of voices, cries, music. Floating hundreds of feet in the air, I discovered there was no noise -- no traffic roar, no barking dogs, no ringing telephones, no blaring radios or TV sets. There was only the soft sigh of the wind... and the silence. It was so quiet I could almost hear my own heartbeat. I actually had to get used to hearing nothing. And in the soothing, uninterrupted silence, I felt a healing, restoring power washing out my brain and smoothing down the wrinkles in my inner being.

With crystal clarity, I sensed a message of reassuring love being whispered inside my heart in a still, small voice. I recognized that Voice! And suddenly I thrilled with new understanding of what my Heavenly Father meant when He gently commanded, Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).

On that crisp autumn afternoon, drifting quietly above the patchwork quilts of the earth and under the brilliant blue of the heavens, I knew God afresh and anew.

Satisfied!

The Lord ministered to me through all my senses on that special day. In addition to being blessed through seeing and hearing, I became so aware of God's presence that I could almost reach out and touch Him -- I'm sure I felt Him touch me!

And smell -- the air above our beloved Michigan homeland was so pure, so unpolluted at that height. I've never smelled anything so clean. It was like the very breath of God... exhilarating... delicious!

I distinctly remember being aware that my senses were totally filled up -- that I wanted nothing to be satisfied. I had no need for food or drink. I could cry out with the Psalmist David, O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).

All too soon our balloon ride came to an end, and it was time to descend back to earth. Almost reluctantly we left the sky and stood once more on the ground.

But I'll never be quite the same again. How much I learned about Christian living through what I experienced that day up in the balloon.

I'm told that in stormy weather, that greatest of birds, the eagle, does not seek a shelter or place of refuge. Instead, he flies high into the sky, turns into the wind and sets his wings so that the very force of the storm lifts him safely above it.

Surely it is no coincidence that God's Word declares --

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

Rexella Van Impe

jvim.org

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