While Jan and I were in prayer for the nations, I saw an image in the Spirit. I saw a sound set of a motion picture being filmed. I saw the stage props, camera booms, and the support staff doing their duties to produce the movie.

I immediately saw how we can view reality. There are two ways. One is a highly focused presentation. Another way offers a broader view, allowing me to see what is really happening behind the scene. 

The focused presentation is a prepared script with actors playing their part. The wider view is a panned-out image, which is what the Lord wants us to see. Who is influencing this narrative? Who is behind the curtain pulling the puppet strings. What message is skillfully shaping culture?

We cannot spiritually engage with something that is only a prepared and limited version of reality. We need to allow God to pan out the image so we can see what is going on from Heaven’s viewpoint. We need to see what He sees. 

We may not see the whole picture, but He knows what we need in the moment and will show it to us, the good and the bad alike. 

The devil, the god of this world, has a purpose when he deals with people and nations. He wants to blind us to the spiritual reality that is unfolding around us. This blindness is not the loss of natural sight. It’s the loss of spiritual sight. Sadly, this blindness affects anyone of us if we are not discerning about what we are viewing.

“The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God” (II Corinthians 4:4).

As earthly turmoil increases, we need to wait for the Lord’s revelation, not just watch what has been fed to us, thinking it is the complete and final reality. We need to wait to hear from the Lord before we watch any spiritual movie that does not reveal all the players, claiming it to be the final word. 

Wait on the Lord. You will see the expanded version. You will then see Him at work behind the scenes of what is being presented to us.