The Stairs and the River
by Susan Cummings
February 22, 2005 [Bahasa Malaysia]  MP3

I am lying upon the bed and at my husband's and my feet, are three men. The Lord and two others. I assume they are angels who accompany Him although they looked like men. He looks at me, and reaches out His Hand to me, and says, "It is time. It is time to climb the stairs. Come with Me."

I speak to the Lord, and begin to test Him, and ask Him who He is, and who came in the flesh, and He smiled and answers me, and says, "I have come, and died for all men, that they would come to Me and My Father, and have shed My Blood on the Cross that they might have life. I came in the flesh and gave it for all men. I rose from the dead that all might have the Life that I have and live with Me." I then felt afraid that I questioned the Lord and would have displeased Him by my testing. He smiled, and said to Me, "It pleases me that you test Me, and I am not offended at all."

I see myself lying on the bed. My body is lying there, but my spirit sits up and then reaches out to the Lord's hand. I take His Hand, and am lifted up and we begin to turn and go somewhere. Immediately before us is a door that opens up and there is a brilliantly lit corridor before us. It is full of light. There are stairs that ascend upwards through the corridor and they also are full of light. I can distinguish walls, to our sides, even though it is all bright.

I am holding the Lord's Hand as we climb up the stairs. It is wide enough for both of us and we begin to climb the stairs. As I walk, I begin to realize that I no longer see the Lord next to Me, but I sense His Presence there, and I am not afraid. I keep climbing.

It is not steep, but it is an upward ascent. It is as though you are passing time as you climb. You can feel movement and the quickening of time or reality as you rise up higher. It seems to be strengthening to climb into the Light. It fills everything, and it brings great purpose to the climber. I feel determined to climb to the top.

As I am climbing, I hear water running. It sounds quiet at first, but as I step upwards, it does seem to grow louder and more forceful. As I near the top, I can feel the change in the atmosphere of the area as I come out from the corridor and am coming into a great room or area.

In front of me, not far from my place where I am standing is a huge river. It is flowing very rapidly, and is very deep and powerful. It is churning and very fast, and I am nervous to draw nearer to it, as I might fall into it, and get caught away. I am surprised that a river would be here at the top of the stairs. It seemed that there would be people and rooms and furniture and such, as at the other times that I was brought into the Great Hall, this time, there was none of that. Just this river.

Now, I am standing before this great river. I begin to walk nearer, but not close. I walk along the edge a little and watch as it rushes by. It is not clear, as when I have seen it in other experiences, and it is not blue or fiery red as at other times I have seen it. But this time, it is churning and stirred up with a mixture of hues and was not clear. It looked kind of like a spa does when the jets are turned on and the water is stirred by the air bubbles.

As I was watching the river, the Lord again was standing by My side. He stood watching me as I watched the river. He smiled and watched for awhile. Then, He said to me, "Where can you go from here?" I looked at Him, and knew this was not a real question, as He already knew, but He wanted me to ponder and to learn. I thought, and looked around me.

The river was directly running across my path, so I could not cross it to continue in the direction that I had come from the stairs, to where I was standing. So, I looked and there was nothing else that was near, and there was no other way across it. So, I said, "It cannot be crossed."

He smiled, and said, "You are correct, but it can be navigated." I looked, and thought to myself, "I would not want to navigate any rapids like these." He smiled, and said, "You cannot navigate what you do not understand."

"This river is My River that comes out from under the Temple, and is now at the level of over your head. It is not controlled by any man, or channeled, or steered. It is only navigated by abandoning yourself to it's flow, and allowing it to bring you to My destination for you."

"People think from reading My Word, that the river is a downward descent, like stepping into the ocean or a lake and stepping into it ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep, and then they plunge into it and swim in it's depths. Ezekiel 40-47 describes this river, but they fail to realize that each depth is actually an ascent, and not a descent."

"For every step that you take in obedience to Me, it costs you, and there is a death that accompanies each choice and advancement. There is also a higher level that is achieved and met, and walked out. Men think they can run and jump, and play in My River without any change and responsibility on their part, and without any cost. This is Holy Ground. This River issues from My Father, and from His Throne, and from His Grace to them. It is His Life and it is Holy. No man will come into this River unless I draw Him there. All men enter through Me, and they do so purified and made ready, and they stand before My Father as His."

"This River is being released in the earth, as you are seeing it flow now. It is just as the same as the Fiery River that you saw before, that had caught up all of the Father's Jewels in it. It is the same River, but the Father has chosen you to see it now, in this form. It is time for you to abandon yourself to the will of the Father, and let Him take you where He wants you to go."

I looked at the River, and swallowed. I do not like rapids or fast water. It is beautiful, but I don't like the feeling of being swept away. I struggled with my fears and with my not wanting to displease the Lord either. I then, stepped closer, and looked down and determined within myself that there was no other option for me that to do His Will.

I jumped in.

The River was indeed a wildly rushing River, and at first, I was afraid as I plunged into it's depths, but I was also surprised. It was not cold. I thought it would be cold and it was not. It was actually pleasing. I also sank deep into it, and did not float to the top. The current caught you into it, and kept you hidden beneath it's surface. It was actually surprisingly a delight to be swept away in.

I noticed that from the depth, as I looked upwards, I could see clearly. It was as though I could see everything through this water from underneath, but from the surface, you could not see through it downwards. This was a mystery to me. It also was lively. I could feel strength as it carried me, and I was not afraid. I felt protected and calm. I felt light and not heavy from being under the water. I also could breathe under the water.

I did not see anyone else under the water with me, but I felt secure, like I was surrounded by others, even though I was alone. There was light in this water, as Gods Light is in all things. It was not dark or shadowy, but Light. I wondered why I had not fully abandoned myself to the Lord a lot sooner.

No sooner had I thought this, than I was now standing by the Lord again.

I was no longer in the River, but was again watching it with Him. He nodded at my surprise, and smiled. He said, "Many do not love me enough to abandon themselves and cast themselves fully into My Will for them. They fear change, and they fear being vulnerable, and they fear the Truth. So they never fully enter into what I have for them, for they never trust Me enough, to step forwards and leave the decisions to Me."

"The River was not clearly visible to you from the surface, because you can only see clearly when you have utterly abandoned yourself to Me and have completely given all of your understanding to Me and allow Me to carry you and bring you to whatever I choose for you. Unless My Truth shines through you, you cannot see. Waters to swim in, are just that, deep waters that you no longer have any control of and must navigate them through absolute obedience and trust. When My People only stand from afar and look at their destiny, and never give themselves fully to it, they never come to the place of full maturity and clear vision. They remain seeing through a glass darkly. They never come to a working and applied knowledge of the Truth, that fully sets them free."

"By casting yourself into the River, it broke the fear that had influenced you and hindered your path. When you loved me more than your uncomfortableness and your understanding, and cast yourself into the unknown, it released faith, and caused you to be caught up into My Rest, and be swept along with me. My Yoke is easy and My Burden is light, and few come to where they can flow with Me and be refreshed in the swiftness of My Movings. "

"The deeper that you go, in your quest for Truth, is actually Higher and is costlier. This you know. But few want Me enough to cast themselves into Me. Even though you were afraid, you did not love yourself more than Me, and you did trust Me enough, to give yourself to Me. If only My People would turn to me, and step towards Me, and give Me their hand. I would lead them and be with them, and they would not fear, for My Grace is given."

"This River is also that which has been held back for this hour, and has been now more fully released by My Father, for the work is great. My People will walk in great power, but it will be from a place of flowing from Me and not of functioning apart from Me. All is given into My Hands, and all comes forth from Me. Each of Mine will receive all they need to fulfill their purpose and reap the harvest. None will lack, nor will they wane, for the Father flows through them to the degree that they abandon themselves to Him. Each will have their portion. According to their Faith, it is given."

"Man has not seen in the earth, that which My Father has held in reserve, and has kept for this day. He is Jealous for His Name and for His People, and He will redeem both from the hands of men. His Name is Holy and His People are Holy, and He will avenge His Name and His People. He will be seen through them. It is time."

"You must return. You must not let fear detour you or cause you to delay, but you must rise up quickly and begin to break forth and run, for the time is short, and you must abandon yourself to My Father's Will, and allow Him to set your course, and not be concerned for it's outcome. He has your place all set and determined. It is time for you to move child. It is time to speak His Word with abandonment and assurance. Do not hold back, but run with His Word. Just as He caught you up in the River here, He will do so as you run in the earth. His Fire will burn before you wherever you go, for His Word is as a Fire through His Servants."

"Go, and be released, and do My Father's Will."

With those words, I am myself and in my home.

I sit at this computer, contemplating this experience, and anticipating the many changes that will now come forth, and yet, I am now, not afraid.

The End

-Susan Cummings February 22, 2005 at 3:50 am