Author: Ashley McClelland

How can you love God until you know how much He’s saved you from? How can you truly become an intimate receiver of the healing love of God?

I exhaled and my chest relaxed. Warm soothing water lapped at my waist and steam lifted creating an aromatic bath of citrus and Himalayan salt incense. I didn’t realize until then, that I had been holding in my breath. It had been a long 13 hour day.

My mind drifted and I began to play quietly in the water. I waved my hands around under the comforting waters in lackadaisical motions. I wondered why Father asked me to take a bath instead of a shower? I almost refused to obey Him after surviving a long day.

Have you ever been so tired and weary that you didn’t even want to do the necessary and most menial things in life? Things like, brush your teeth or put on your pajamas? Well, my friend, you are not alone.

“Why should I take a bath Father when I can just take a quick shower?” I whined like the toddlers I worked with, “all I want to do is shower and sleep.”

I was at my wits end. I didn’t want to be up anymore. I just wanted sleep.

But God knew I needed peace instead.

As the stress of the day began to lift off of my body as lightly as the mineral salt steam from the water, my thoughts cleared.

My to do list began to evaporate, my breaths deepened. I drank in the air around me in large refreshing gulps. Sweet air filled my lungs.

I became aware of my body, particularly my legs which stretched out before me. I swirled my hands around and enjoyed staring at them through the clear water. Becoming a little girl, I cupped my hands together between my legs. I enjoyed the smooth way the water made my hands look.

I began to lift my cupped hands until they were out of the water. I studied the terrain of my hands and inhaled the fragrance of mineral scents.

My eyes slightly flickered as the water began to drip through the cracks of my fingers. For some reason this both surprised me and displeased me. An unconscious mindset of control slowly began to surface. I dipped my hands back into the water.

After cupping another handful, I pressed my hands together more tightly and squeezed my fingers. My effort was strenuous and borderline painful. After several seconds of trying to prevent the water from dripping down, I gave up. God spoke to me in that moment.

“No matter how hard you squeeze your hands together, you will not be able to prevent the water from slipping out.“

Has God ever spoken to you and within one sentence you received a whole message?

I knew He had come for my soul.

I knew He was petitioning me to receive saving grace.

For the true Christian faith is to remain in the grace that saved you. Everything is by grace through faith. (Colossians 2:6-10)

I knew there was a secret place within me that sought to save myself and be my own strength. The undercurrent of stress that I had been feeling throughout the day, until now, was an obvious indicator.

I felt a sore place deep inside being pricked and my heart-rate rose. A dull pain came and with it an unsuspecting panic. My breaths came sharply and quickly.

The true poverty of man is not recognizing their deep need. Until you stop trying to save yourself …how can you truly glory with joy and worship Jesus?

In that moment I was reminded of the weeping prophet Jeremiah. I felt his tears and realized they weren’t really his…but God’s. Jeremiah was smitten in his heart with the passionate, pure and fiercely devoted love of God for his bride. He had leaned into the fabric of God’s soul so entirely, that he began to feel His pain.

I remembered how God began to reminisce with as much affection as heartbreak on His bride. And He asked with tears choking his voice, “what did I do?! What fault did your fathers find in Me that they have turned from Me and followed after other gods?” (Jeremiah 2:5)

I felt a lump begin to rise to my throat in the tub. I knew I had been drinking from my own cistern and it was leaving me deprived and poisoned.

I remembered that God cried that his people refused to take from Him what He wanted to freely offer…rivers of living water. Everlasting life. Abundant life. Life that was truly rich, lush and healing. His heart tore that they were dying from trusting in the works of their own clay hands. He wept for them, because like me, their wells could never hold the water that they needed to sustain their lives. They were dying and it was of their own making. It was because of their own pride.

“for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
    the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
    broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)

Have you ever tried so hard to lay hold onto something you craved, only to have it slip through your fingers?

I realized that Israel had tried so hard to recreate something that God had already made perfect. They wanted to be strength for themselves when He was their strength. They attempted to hold water for themselves when He is the source of everlasting water. He had perfect water for them. Cool water. Refreshing water. Rejuvenating water. Eternal water. There was a never ending supply of water.

But for some reason they put more faith and more trust in the power of their own flesh— despite the fact that God provided water for them from a rock as they sojourned in the desert. He supernaturally gushed water from a rock and divinely fed them in the wilderness for forty years.

But they did not believe that they were the apple of his eyes even though He had shown it time and time again. They did not trust that He loved them with a sacrificial love. They did not believe that He did and always had their best interest at heart.

Without believing the love of God you cannot trust Him.

No matter how hard you try. No matter how strong your grip is…the water will still slip through the cracks of your fingers.

You cannot try hard enough. It will only produce striving, and with it frustration.

Stop.

Relax.

Breathe.

Be.

Dip your fingers in the bath water with me. And realize, that Jesus is the tub that you’re sitting in.

He’s the Lord of more than enough. He’s the well of Living Water.

What areas in your life are you trying to perfect when Jesus has already finished it?

If you have any stress in your life, it’s a clear indicator that you are striving somewhere within.

I invite you to join me in opening up to God so that He can fill you.

I admit, I have not completely stopped striving. But I am learning to go to Him and let Him provide for me. We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to allow ourselves to be perfectly His.

He is our perfection.

He is our strength.

He is our source.

~If you’ve enjoyed this short devotion, check out my book Visions of Celestial Love. It’s filled with mini devotions just like this one. Enjoy a cup of coffee, a pumpkin spice latte or a cup of herbal tea as you savor each moment with Father.

Top photo by bruce mars from Pexels

“Ashley presents us with a true cornucopia of modern psalms, personal testimonies, and short stories. She has set out to reveal and unravel some of the most complex heart issues mankind faces in our quest of understanding what true intimacy with God really looks like. Prepare to have your soul massaged and worked on as you read Visions of Celestial Love.” — Jeremy Minard, Founder of Servant King Apparel, Active US Navy

Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear. -Matthew 11:28-30 TPT

He calls the soul to rest and receive at the table of intimacy.

Let Him feed you with grace, for it is good nourishment for your heart.

He longs to serve you true riches, the bread of eternal life.

Let Him wash you with the aromatic waters of mercy.

He yearns for the fabric of your being to be so potent with His mercy that the air in your lungs becomes like sweet incense–constantly reminding you that your sins are gone forever.

Let Him heal you with love.

He desires that you be made whole and complete through His love. His compassions are kindled together for you.

Let Him free you with truth.

His truth is like the sun. Just as the sun causes all things on earth to exist and allows us to see, so His truth does the same. Only His truth shines from the heart and gives life to the soul, body and the lives of those around you.

Everything good and life-giving comes from His hands. He loved you enough to die for you.

He rose again and forever makes intercession for you at the Father’s right hand.

No detail in your life, no burden in your soul goes unnoticed. His eyes are constantly on you.

Because, He cares deeply for you ❤️

~For more information on my recently published book, Visions of Celestial Love, click here.

“When I read Visions of Celestial Love, it is as if I am brought down to my knees to worship. What the Holy Spirit has done in and through Ashley, He is doing also in me. What a wonderful experience. It is very rich. Thank you for sharing the treasure.”—Riko Suci Alam, CEO of Ligar Jaya and owner of Clove Garden hotel in Bandung Indonesia. 

~A vision that I was given when I was a teenager and first filled with the Holy Spirit.

He offered me something to eat as I was reading, studying and writing down the Word of God. The countryside smelled of sugar and dust. Months ago, I had been taken to this cottage of a mountain of honey hay as delicate as a moth’s hair. I would stay here until the next Jubilee with this angel of light. He asked me to call him Offer or Promise.

            I imagined rain from translucent azure waters falling through the roof and creating pools and rivers of glowing water in the house. The hay outside, moved like ripples in the wind and made waves of gold with every sweet, wistful breeze. This mountain was the only amber one. All the others were lush jade green. Often during sunsets, the ones in the distance paled into a lavender purple made rosy with the hue and heat of the setting sun. These mountains seemed as soft as mist.

            I looked up from my work at Promise. His sculpted hand held out a pearly saucer with a tea-size emerald bowl on top. The bowl was filled with a white, pasty looking substance. Promise or Offer was beautiful and tall with long hair that shone like silver in the sun. His hair appeared as gentle as silk. His eyes were as majestic as thousands of mountains that touched the sky. Yet, his eyes were kinder than a mother’s love and deep with mystery. He often wore layers of clothes, all made for the flow of the wind. Today he wore a deep pine green robe with the floral words of heaven etched on the sleeves and hem.

            I took the food with a smile as “thanks” and set it on the polished wooden table. He observed my writings and circled around the table before sitting down. I felt celestial water below my feet. It lapped over my toes and was as soothing as spa water, but when I looked down, all I saw was the white carpet. I didn’t ask Offer what was going on. Things like that always happened here. Taking up a spoon, I dipped it in the pasty white substance.

            “It is food and drink.” Offer said.

I opened my mouth and ate. It was light, like fat-free yogurt and it liquefied in my mouth as if it were whipped cream. It reminded me of a flaky pie crust sugared with cinnamon and ginger. It was dissolvable because of the thinness. It slid down my throat like a light mist and it seemed to dissolve into nothingness in my stomach. Because of this, I took a big spoonful and stuffed it in my mouth before taking another one.

            “Easy.” Offer said.

            I looked at him.

            “Go slow, it is filling you,” he continued.

            I knew his words were true, but it surely didn’t feel like it.

            “You sons and daughters of men take in too much too quickly before you are ready. It fills you, I promise.”

            He folded his hands together and then quietly stood. Again, he circled me. This time slower than the last. I saw his eyes peer at my work again which rested beside the Bible.

            “Think of it as reading the Word of God. You must go slowly. You must digest what you read and wait for full comprehension from Adoni before you continue. Most people read much too much too quickly and then claim they know the Word of God. They form their own opinions about it, or they listen to the incorrect, hasty interpretations of others because they have not studied. They have not relied on the Ruach Hakodesh to open their eyes of understanding. In this too they become worshippers of themselves as they rely more on their mind than the mind of the Spirit. Or they choose to become wedding guests instead of the Bride at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Intimacy takes time…a life time.”

            His words were as pure as ice forming from a water cave in the arctic. “What are you saying Promise?” I asked.

            “Read it to draw closer to Him.”

            “I…thought I was.”

            “You wrote three chapters.”

            “I’ve been here for hours. Are you saying three chapters is too much?”

            He nodded.

            “How much longer will I be here? All this must get done before that.”

            “What is that to you? That “longer” you speak of? He is in the past, the present and the future. How then can this thing you know as time exist? Only He exist and He fills all.”

            Promise saw that I failed to comprehend. He sighed slightly and smiled fondly at me. Somehow his visage assured me that all would be well.

            “Our Lord will give you enough time. In the same way as He supplied enough manna for the Israelites, His chosen ones, to eat in the wilderness everyday…He will supply you enough time. No more and no less dear one. Just keep drawing near to Him with all your heart. Remember to soar, enjoy and cherish every moment. Allow yourself to be put in all the way, in every experience.”

            I believe I understood and nodded.

            “Yahweh is not looking for quantity. He is looking for quality. A small diamond is worth more than a hundred tons of fool’s gold.”

…to be continued.

~If you’ve enjoyed this allegory, you may like my book Visions of Celestial Love. It is full of lessons that God has taught me since I first surrendered to Him. These lessons often look like “word pictures” for me. And remember, above all He wants intimacy with you. He wants your heart. He longs to sup with you in the secret place. <3

Top image by Quang Nguyen vinh from Pixabay. I chose this photo because the sun is shinning behind these men and their feet are standing on a mountain of salt. It reminded me of what Jesus said when He called us, “the salt and light of the world.” -Matthew 5:13-16.

~Dear God, thank you for loving me, and for guiding me, for creating time for me to spend with You. For touching my hands and moving my heart

Have you ever sat blissed out from the rich and loving voice of God?

My heart takes flight, my eyes water from His grace.

Oh, to feel His soft touch waking you up to fellowship.

To be broken and then healed after His arms hold you. After Jesus cleans and washes you inside from His glowing light.

Oh, to see the haze of golden love.

Oh, to look out the window and see the white sparkling fog kiss this grassy land.

The ocean carrying peace.

Oh, to hear the beat of His worship-playing drums.

To be His child, found in His heart.

What a blessing to hear The Truth.

To be dearly loved by The Way, and The Life.

I can hear the voices and the music of worship floating and surrounding me on the outside, taking me, then seeping into me and ringing inside of me.

What joy it is to fall on my knees.

This love is unexplainable.

I have no worries.

I feel no fear in His presence.

Two words from Him are more than a thousand from a lover.

What seed has He planted inside of me? It has grown into a fruit-bearing tree that sees a constant gauzy sunrise. The deep colors of plump fruit hang and grow on it; raspberry, orange, peach, and red-colored fruit glisten in His light. Jesus creates fog that collects into drops of water on its green leaves, and then drips to a moist, rich soil, so lush with life.

What waterfall of blessings is this I see in the distance, behind purple mountains warmed by Life?

Its waters pour from Heaven, from the throne of Almighty God. Blue waters of every blessing He has given me fall like fountain water.

Why do my arms lift effortlessly?

They feel His touch and an offering is being given. How can such a love exist?

I’ve been taken away.

I’ve been divinely called and so have you.

Here I rest.

Here I lay.

Here I eat of His Word, of His fruit.

Here I abide in Christ.

Here I stroll through Heaven.

Here I visit the tabernacle, His home.

Here I climb Mount Zion.

Here I hear the angels’ praise. Their celestial voices powerful, beautiful, yet they meet my ears with a calming hum.

Here I twirl with praise like ripples, I move with the current of everlasting love. I touch the golden-colored flowers; I study the blue of the sky.

I am delivered a pen and paper to surrender, to share this incredible Love with anyone who’ll listen.

He longs to take you here.

To create this land inside of you.

Search deep inside your Spirit.

You can see it.

You can feel it.

You can taste it.

Maybe differently, but you do.

It rocks your heart and opens your senses.

He fulfills you like no one or nothing ever could.

Seconds with Him are worth more than a lifetime of wealth.

Our God reins, forever His kingdom stands! My feet have never caressed such soft coco-colored soil as they have in this land. My eyes have never gazed upon something more beautiful.

Have you ever sat blissed out from the rich and loving voice of God?

My heart has been made into the house of Jesus.

~This devotional was taken from my book Visions of Celestial Love. To find out more about it, visit the Purchasable Goody page. To buy a copy, click here. <3