The Ditch, the Dog and the Ambulance
Hi Everyone,
I have three visions to share with you today. They concern deliverance, healing and the Holy Spirit. God is faithful and he wants us to partner with him in his work in the kingdom of God.
The Visions
The Ditch
In the first vision I saw a person from a distance in a deep ditch. He was jumping up and down waving his arms and calling out, “I’m over here!” I could tell that he needed help getting out, for the ditch was deep. All I could see of him was his head and arms as he jumped.
The White Dog
In the second vision I saw a small white dog, who was above the ground about 3 feet. He jumped down and turned so that I saw his back side. Near the tail was a pink bow made of a satin narrow ribbon.
The Ambulance
In the third vision I saw a white and red ambulance that was backing up. It was shaped like a box truck but was clearly an ambulance with its back-up lights on.
The Meaning of the Visions
These three visions I believe work together to paint a picture of rescue or deliverance.
In the first vision, the man jumping up and down was trying to get someone’s attention. He was obviously trapped in a pit from which he could not escape. There was no one else in view, so he might have to jump up and down for quite a while before anyone would see him.
There will be times, when we have the feeling of being trapped, without anyone to help. In our distress, we may call out to God for his divine help. For us who believe, we know that the Lord is all powerful and all knowing. He can do the impossible when we cannot help ourselves.
I love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD; cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger. Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth. He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him. From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.
The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded—hailstones and coals of fire. He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them. The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me. They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me. Psalm 18:1-19
This is our God! He is the one we can count on in all our troubles. As he helped David, He will help those who call upon him! Hallelujah!
In desperate times even those who do not know God may call upon him saying, “God if you are real, please help me! Please send someone to rescue me!”
When people humble themselves before God and turn to Him for his help, He is more than willing to show himself powerful on their behalf. In the Bible there is a story about 10 such men, who desperately wanted to be healed.
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19
In this story we see that out of the ten men who called upon Jesus for their healing, only one returned to show his gratitude towards God. The man came and fell at his feet in acknowledgment of the healing power of God, that had brought about this wonderful divine miracle. This should have been the entire group’s response to their healing. But this man received more because he had a grateful heart. I believe that he became a true believer that day, for he had had a divine encounter with God. Young’s Literal Translation translates Jesus’ last sentence like this:
And he said to him, `Having risen, be going on, thy faith hath saved thee.'” Luke 17:19 YLT
This thankful man not only received his healing, but salvation as well! His heart had changed. By acknowledging Jesus and prostrating himself before Him, he was praising God. He declared his belief in Jesus as God and was thus saved!
For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. Romans 10:10
People who respond to Jesus like the man above did, are forever changed and will never forget what the Lord has done for them. They will be filled with the Holy Spirit and will continue to believe in Jesus and live for him with a grateful heart.
In the English Revised Version, there is another aspect that we see in this translation, and that of being restored. Leprosy is a destructive disease where people lose their body parts by decay. The nose or ears or lips, fingers, toes and arms and legs simply die and fall off. But we see that the man who returned was not just healed, he was saved and his physical body was entirely restored, made whole.
And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Luke 17:19 ESV
But unfortunately, some people who call out to God and are rescued or healed by His hand, will immediately deny His power saying, “It was bound to happen, sooner or later someone would have come to rescue me,” or “the doctors did such a great job, it is amazing to see their technical skills.”
It is pride and the fear of man that keeps people from giving God the credit. They cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the supernatural power of God. They want to please their peers more than please God. They are not aware of the bondage they have because of the fear of man.
People will turn to doctors and experts before they turn to God. We want to trust in the human credentials and recommendations of others but deny our need of God. If we are self reliant and impressed with our own abilities, or others’ abilities, then we should not expect God’s help, we have diminished and under valued Him.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
So we pray, Lord, remove our pride and arrogance and the fear of Man, (the fear of what others may think of us), and help us to humble ourselves before you.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10
The White Dog
In the vision, I saw a small white dog, standing near the edge of a three foot drop to the ground below. The dog jumped down and turned, showing its back side. The pink satin ribbon tied to the dog’s long hair near the tail, indicated that the dog was female.
The dog in the vision I believe represents faithfulness, for that is a common attribute of dogs. The pink bow speaks of the attributes of females. Eve was created to be a help mate to her husband and to bear children. So the dog also represents the nurturing and caring characteristics of motherhood. And the small dog in the vision was also white, which represents purity and holiness. Because of these attributes, I believe that the dog represents the Holy Spirit as the helper and comforter.
As believers we have been given the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17 (the Amplified Bible)
The Holy Spirit is all that and more, for He is the Spirit of God. Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as the revealer of truth.
However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you. Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is Mine and disclose it to you. John 16:13-15
The Holy Spirit is faithful. Jesus said that he would not leave his disciples as orphans, but would give them the Holy Spirit so that they would not be alone. The Holy Spirit also represents the presence and power of God.
And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49
And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:4-5
We as believers have been given the initial infilling of the Holy Spirit when we are born again. Then, we can also be baptized into the Holy Spirit as a greater infilling and anointing imparting spiritual power to perform miracles, and prophesy. This greater infilling comes with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. Certain gifts are given to believers when they are born again, but the power and supernatural gifts are given with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Note: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not the same as water baptism, which we do in obedience to the Lord, symbolically dying with him, as we are immersed in the water, and symbolically raised to new life in Him, when we emerge from the water.
Peter speaks of water baptism in this next passage:
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39
We are the ones Peter referred to as being far off, who are called by the Lord. 2000, plus years is certainly far off. And the Holy Spirit was the deposit that was given to us, so that we know we have salvation in the Lord’s name.
And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13-14
The Ambulance
In this vision, I saw a red and white ambulance backing up with its lights on. Where I live there are occasionally paramedics that are called in, in emergencies. The ambulances come to the front parking lot and then have to turn around so as to be able to load up from the back and head out facing forward. In the vision the ambulance was backing up in preparation to open the back doors, bring in the patient on a gurney, and then head for the hospital.
This vision concerns preparation for emergencies. It is possible that it is a warning vision, to prepare for a an accident or illness. But since I was praying to received a message from the Lord to share in my blog, I believe that it speaks of being prepared for eternity, for some accidents and illnesses lead to sudden death.
Those of us who are called to intercede, are in constant awareness of eternity. We think in terms of eternity. We pray for our loved ones’ salvation, we pray for our churches, missionaries and evangelists to reach the lost with the gospel. We invite people to church, and we share the Lord with our testimonies and pray with people that need salvation and healing. Every day, the Lord presents us with opportunities to introduce the Lord to unbelievers, or to encourage believers in their walk with God.
We need to take inventory of our own faith. Are we truly walking with the Lord? Are we devoted to Him? Can we hear his voice or see his hand in our lives? Do we have an intimate relationship with the Lord? I ask these questions because the Lord makes it clear that not everyone who claims to be a Christian, knows the Lord.
We may be worshiping and praying to a God of our own choosing. Jesus pointed this out to a Samaritan woman, for the Samaritans did not follow the Old Testament Law, but worshiped in their own way on a mountain.
“Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”
Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.” John 4:19-26
It is very easy to worship a God that we create in our own imagination, giving him the attributes that we want him to have. But if we want to know the one true God, we must read his word, for by his words, we see how He thinks, what he values, what He deems to be holy and what is detestable. We see his heart on various topics and how he handles situations and people. Our very purpose is to know him and be devoted to him.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23
If we have only given lip service to God, and our hearts are not right with him, we need to repent. If we have considered our jobs, our children, our material possessions, positions and pastimes more important than God, then we need to repent of idolatry.
Jesus, speaking to the religious leaders of His day he said to them:
“You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’” Matthew 15:7-9
On another occasion, Jesus said:
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:37-39
Can we speak candidly about eternity? Let’s look at the Lord’s teaching of the sheep and the goats.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46
The Lord is kind and merciful to those who love him and obey his commands. But we must fear God, for he is also a just God and will judge righteously. For those of us who believe, we will be found righteous because the Lord’s righteousness is imparted to us. We do not deserve it, but by believing in him, and trusting him in all things, we will have the righteousness of Christ. For those who do not yet know the Lord, let us be diligent in prayer, asking the Father to draw them to Jesus.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44
In Summary
When we look at the three visions together, we have a picture of what God is saying to us. In the first vision we have a person desperately waving his arms and jumping up and down, hoping someone will come to his rescue. He is trapped in a pit, and will be lost, if no one comes to rescue him. We need to be ready and willing to help others. Can we be bold in Spirit and follow his lead to rescue a man, woman or child in peril, sickness, in prison, or in bondage to sin? Let us be the Lord’s faithful, who hear his voice and be obedient to do for others, as if done unto Him.
The small white dog reminds us that we are not alone, but we have the Holy Spirit to lead us through life and to help us to be the Lord’s hands and feet on this earth. We can pray for others, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Let us believe God for miracles and ask for divine appointments, to be at the right place at the right time, and to be available for the Lord’s use. Let us seek the Lord for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the greater spiritual gifts, so that we can move in the power of God and bless others. The gifts are for building up the body, with wisdom, words of knowledge, healing, deliverance, or other manifestations of the Spirit, as God may direct.
The vision of the ambulance is to remind us of eternity and to live from that perspective. When all is said and done, eternity is the only thing that matters. If we live for God today, on this earth, then we will live with him forever in heaven. We can take nothing to heaven with us, except another soul. So, let’s pray that we can make a difference in people’s lives by sharing the gospel and blessing others. Let us live to please God, for he is worthy of all our praise. There is no one like our God!
God bless you all, and please share this message with others.
