These are some of the last words our brother Stephen cried out before he surrendered his very life in sacrifice for the Lord.
The first thing I notice about this passage is that Jesus was in a standing position. Usually He is sitting on His throne. Apparently, in that moment, He was so wrapped up in what was transpiring that He had gotten up off His throne. Stephen beheld his Lord and King receiving his ultimate act of worship, pouring out his own life’s blood for the One he loved. I believe he saw inexpressible depths of overwhelmed love, gratitude, and devotion burning in Jesus’ eyes.
The second thing that is impressed on me is that the heavens were opened over Stephen’s willing, extravagant gift of his own life. His testimony stands out as a living example of the principle God set forth in Deuteronomy 28. That is, obedience brings an open heaven. “…If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God… The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to… bless all the work of your hand” (Deut. 28:1b; 12a,c, NKJV).
According to Ezekiel 36:27, the work of the Holy Spirit is to produce obedience in our hearts. We are utterly dependent on Him to empower us to walk in God’s ways. However, He will never force Himself on us. He deeply respects the faculty of free will that He gave to us at creation. If we are not willing, He will wait and continually woo us. He will produce obedience in us only when we surrender to His transformational process in our lives.
All God needs is our willingness, and He will do the rest. This is why David cried out, “Grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me!” (Ps. 51:12b, NIV).
For those of His beloved children who haven’t quite yet gotten to the place of a willing spirit, this same chapter of Deuteronomy describes the inverse principle at play. As a direct result of disobedience, “…your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze…” (v. 23a).
As you meditate on this truth, it may be time to allow God to search you. Is there an area of your life where it feels like the heavens are closed over you? Is it possible that Holy Spirit has been gently nudging you in a certain direction, and you have not yet been willing to surrender?
Dear, precious child, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus! Not now, not ever. However, take a moment and just imagine what life might look like post-surrender… Doesn’t an open heaven, with God’s rich blessing over all the work of your hands, sound pretty amazing?
Will you freely offer to Jesus the gift of your life today?
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Have you experienced an open heaven? What is that like?
Feeding On Jesus 
This was such a comfort
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Thank You Jesus! 🙂 💖
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This was such an encouragement. I love Stephen’s story. It’s so good to remember those open heaven moments again. One I will never forget is the evening of the day God had me announce I was leaving my church after months of deep intercession, spiritual attack and so much pain. I put worship music on and just sung my heart out and it was so strange, but as a song began playing at random, speaking of the cloud of witnesses, it was like I could see that cloud. And I was just so overcome by God’s presence with me and His pride in me. That night He also asked me to visit an elderly neighbor I didn’t know, who had recently lost her husband to sing her a particular hymn in Dutch. I did the very next morning (trembling) and tears streamed down her face – I didn’t even know that she was a believer.
She became such a gift – it was stunning all the ways our stories overlapped, despite the gap in our ages (caring for younger siblings when our Mama couldn’t cope, caring for a loved one through cancer, watching our brothers and sisters in Christ deeply hurt a family member in the name of God, suffering through PTSD flashbacks of our loved ones’ last days through cancer). God reminded me that day that church isn’t restricted to a building – His Body is hidden all around us. My dear neighbor and friend went home to be with Jesus this year: now she is healed and whole, with no more pain – physically or emotionally. Thank You, Jesus.
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That is so, so amazing and special, Anna. Just wow. Makes me smile with reverent joy to think of her there. And what an amazing experience of God;s healing presence during that difficult moment of your life! I am thoughtful because He was already highlighting to me the Scripture about the cloud of witnesses. This makes me pay even more attention.
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Oh I so look forward to hearing what He speaks to your heart. Come, LORD Jesus come! We so long to receive Your Word to us.
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I was listening to a teaching by Robert Henderson on the topic. I’m still chewing on it. It’s a topic I had never given much thought to before.
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BTW this was the post I wrote about my neighbor (mentioning the cloud of witnesses – but in a different way): https://shalomaleh.com/2021/08/22/part-4-chapter-3-day-3-heavens-weaving/
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To me, an open heaven is an unwavering connection with God throughout the day. You’re in the right place, the right time, with the right people. Doors open when you’re just going to step through. And when you face resistance, you’ll know what to do because He’s guiding you. At the end of the day, you know that you know that God is with you.
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Beautifully, beautifully described, Kathlyn. Thank you! It’s a joy to hear from you 🙂
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