“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.”

1 John 2:28

I was out at a coffee shop with my friend Laura last weekend; the last weekend that the world felt safe.

As we sipped our overpriced almond milk iced coffees in West Midtown Atlanta, a young man approached us. Immediately, I assumed he was coming over to ask for money. I felt myself tense up.

He didn’t. Instead, he gave us a word.

He said, “Hey guys, I felt like I needed to come over to tell you that the Lord is leading you into a season of vivid beauty.”

Wow. Okay. I’ll take it!

As the days since then have quickly spiraled into uncertainty, I have held onto that word.

“Vivid Beauty.”

What does it mean? And how could that be possible in times like these?

Beloved, what is impossible with man is possible with God.

After spending some time in God’s presence, I believe He has given me further revelation; as this word is not just for me & Laura. This word is for the Beloved Daughters of God.

Daughter, believe this word.

The Vivid Beauty is the Beauty of His presence. In this season of uncertainty, we have been granted incredible, abundant access to the throne room of grace. Please, please, please – meet with Jesus. He is waiting to meet with you!

Get on your knees and surrender to His presence. As the verse in 1 John implores, “…abide in Him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.”

I believe that in this season, the Lord is teaching his daughters to abide. Abiding in Him is so crucial because as we are seeing now – He is all we have. 

Psalms 90: 1-2 says, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

For people of faith, the Lord has always been our dwelling place. That has never changed; and it never will change. I believe the Lord is stripping away our comforts so that this will be abundantly clear and so that we will be found in Him. Please, don’t forget – Jesus will one day come back. When He does, will we be shrink back in shame? Or will we run into His open arms, full of grace and glory, with lamps full of oil and hearts full of love?

Please, abide in Him. Make time to pray. Make time to worship. Get in the secret place. He is blessing us insurmountably with an overabundance of joy, strength, peace, faith, gentleness, holiness, love, wisdom, and HOPE. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

And, with the promise of His presence, we have the beautiful words of our Savior Jesus in John 15:7-11,

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

We will not be in this season forever. But while we are in it, we have the choice to either lean into the refining fire of His presence, or lean into fear, anxiety, fantasies, pornography, overeating, Netflix, you name it.

Please, please, please – let us choose to let Him love us. If we do, we will emerge from this refining fire a purified, powerful people! Let it be so!