Jewels From the River: Let the adventures begin!

Judy Bauman

www.thefathersloveim.org

July 27, 2009

A personal testimony: Introduction to the River Visions - Let the adventures begin!

The subject of this post is perhaps one of the most personal revelations of my relationship with Jesus. It is sent with prayer and fasting, fear and trembling, as well as much counsel from my elders. I do not take lightly my precious encounters with the Lord. A little over a year ago, Jesus began to reveal Himself in a very special way to me in what I lovingly call, "The River Visions." I have been very guarded in sharing them; while I share prophetic words for the Church as I get them, I have not done so with these encounters with the Lord.

However, it is my sense that it is the Lord's desire for me to introduce the River visions at this time in the hopes that others like you will seek Him knowing this kind of interaction is available. It is not for a select few. The invitation is for whoever will press in to seek Him. If you answer this call to seek Him, you will find Him in the unique way the Lord chooses to reveal Himself to you. It will probably not be like how He has revealed Himself to me, so be open to how He will unfold the mystery. ~ So, let the adventures begin!

On June 27, 2008 I was sitting in my living room with my journal and Bible, and I was crying out, "I want to see You, Lord!" My bishop, Dr. Dale Fife, wrote in his book, The Secret Place, that the Lord had revealed Himself to him through a series of visions which began with him seeing an old fashioned well*. Since reading his book about seven years ago, I have repeatedly sought the Lord to see the Well of His Presence (as Dr. Fife calls it). Try as I might, I was never able to see the Well. Though frustrating, it was not a vain pursuit, nor a waste of my time.

This one particular morning while I sat on my couch seeking the Lord, I saw myself walking downhill through the thick underbrush of a forest. I heard twigs snapping underfoot. There was no clear path, not even a deer trail. I felt lost and cried out, "Lord, are You there?" The snapping sound is what caused my spirit to "snap to attention" and this is when I realized I was not daydreaming, as one might presume, but having a vision. I could hear a river below and feel the air cool as I approached it. I kept calling out to the Lord. Then I saw Him! It was HIM!!! Jesus was sitting relaxing on a grassy spot next to the River's bend. As quickly as I could, I pushed my way through the briars and vines to reach Him. He was standing to greet me and smiled as He said, "I've been waiting for you. Come on, I have much to show you." Then He grinned as He pointed up the hill over my right shoulder, "Next time take the path!" I looked where He pointed and was surprised to see a nice pathway leading back up the hill. Embarrassed, I laughed. The Lord took my hand and from there we went on the first of many River adventures. Later, I walked up the path and found the trailhead. I wanted to be able to recognize it so I could find my way back to the River. Then the vision faded. Though I saw all of this dimly, as the apostle Paul expressed in 1 Corinthians 13:12, everything I experienced while with the Lord was recorded in my journal in vivid detail.

The next morning I woke up to hear the Lord's voice say, "I am waiting by the River." As I ran down the trail to the River, I heard Jesus singing the really weird new wave song from the 80's, "Take Me to the River". The stranger thing was I could see Him dancing spastically to it. I could hardly believe my eyes! It was so comical and so hilarious; I could not help but laugh. Playfully I said to Him, "Lord, You are wild and crazy!" He jokingly shot back at me, "I'm a wild and crazzzy guy," imitating the American comedian, Steve Martin**. He kept dancing like that for awhile, and then He took me on our adventure for that day.

It is my belief that Jesus being comical was His way to "break the ice" and let me know I am safe to be myself around Him. And I am. I am very comfortable around Him, though I do have moments when I fall down on my face because of His magnificence. But as He put it, "We would get nothing done if you always see Me as I Am." He is right; I would never get off the floor or stop weeping! He is awesome in the truest sense of the word. Make no mistake; this is not about being so chummy with Jesus that the reverence due Him is lacking. This is about having a personal and trusting relationship with the One who calls you His friend and knowing you are safe to enjoy His presence. It is the Lord's desire that you are comfortable with Him. This is not going to happen overnight. The Lord wants us to know His voice; He wants us each to have a personal and distinctive relationship with Him. But this is contingent on our willingness to come to Him and then allow Him to manifest Himself to us as He sees fit. He created mankind for fellowship. The Father desires to restore what was lost in the Garden, but we must each respond to His invitation. We do not need to wait for heaven to have this deep of a relationship because Christ died so that we can have life and have it in abundance now. It is not easy but it is rewarding - and it is always an adventure!

From June 27, 2008 until now I have experienced many amazing times with the Lord. The Lord normally has a very calm and peaceful demeanor when I see Him at the River. From time to time He throws in an unexpected joke to make me laugh. I count it a privilege that the Lord shows me this humorous side of Himself. Because of the way He has opened the Scriptures to backup what He says and does when He is teaching, I have come to trust His voice and what He is showing me. I know my Shepherd's voice. When you have been with the Good Shepherd, you can tell who is a counterfeit. I pray my sharing this will move you to find time to set apart and spend with the Lord. I hope you allow Him to reveal Himself to you in the unique manner that only He can do. He is no respecter of persons; as you seek Him in a deeper way, you WILL find Him in a deeper way. You may already be doing this and if so I pray you stay encouraged. It may take some time, but He will show up if you continue to wait on Him. This is not about studying or praying, which is important, but this is about "being still" and knowing He is God. Practice being quiet in His presence. Whenever possible get in and stay in His presence until He releases you. Take notes of what you see and hear - invest your time in Him as the wise virgins did in Matthew 25. Their story is proof that investing in extra oil is worthy of your time and effort.

The next "River Vision" I will send out is one I had June 27, 2009 - one year to the day of the first one. It is very different from the one I describe here. In fact, I believe His change in demeanor in the following River vision is very important in understanding the Lord's motivation behind the two words that will follow it. These are, "First Love" and "Listen to Me and Live." Starting with this introduction, I will send these posts out over the next four weeks. This will give you time to see what the Lord has to say to you personally. After this series, I may share more on the River visions if the Lord so leads. Let us see together what He would have to say.

In the Father's love,

Judy Bauman

*Photo of water well = https://www.aussieclaus.com.au/catalog/images/34894.jpg

**Steve Martin on You tube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XePWgs43eOc (the Lord was funnier, but you will get the idea. J)