Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence. Isaiah 64:1
Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
The place was a mess, as it had been sitting empty a long time. Weeds were growing in the parking lot as high as my head. It was dirty, smelled, and run down. The roof of the fellowship hall, which was a separate building, had collapsed. I thought it might be the tomb for our church. But we soon discovered our new home had a glorious history of revivals, healings, and signs and wonders before it had fallen into the wrong hands. Sometimes in life, what appears to be a tomb is a womb for God’s plans and purposes for you.
Isaiah’s prayer for God to tear heaven open and come down was above the doorway into the sanctuary. That gave me some comfort about our church being there. We humbled ourselves, worshipped, prayed, and God manifested Himself. It was like the Holy Spirit was waiting there for someone to show up with a yes in their heart to Him. The few years spent in that place set the course for our church that we continue today.
During my time at that old building, I began to understand that God has already answered Isaiah’s prayer. There is nothing that we do that opens heaven. Prayer, fasting, worship, Bible reading, and obedience to God do not rend heaven and get God to come down. Spiritual disciplines are not to earn His favor. Instead, they enable us to partner with the Holy Spirit and come into rhythm with His heart.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come down for a time, but at some point, that time would come to an end. Isaiah was not seeking a temporary visitation or anointing, where the Spirit would come upon a person for a specific task. He was looking for what the seraphim declared when he stood before the throne in heaven, “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:2)
When Christ breathed His last breath on the cross, Isaiah’s prayer began to become a reality. “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” (Matthew 27:51) The veil is symbolic of the body of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22). Heaven opened for all people and for all time at the cross.
On the day of Pentecost, heaven came down. But we can miss experiencing the open heaven if it is closed in our thinking. Our mind is like a doorway. It allows or denies what the Spirit desires to release into our hearts for us to experience. The open heaven is only our reality as we submit to the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). Rather than praying for God to rend the heavens and come down, let’s humble ourselves and ask Him for what is already made available for us through His grace in the Lord Jesus.
Many Blessings, BW