I never thought the Apple Store could be a picture of the Millennium, but through a recent visit to their “Genius Bar,” God revealed to me how it was! I consider myself to be a bit “technologically – challenged.” I remember back in college, standing in long lines to use key punch card machines followed by long nights waiting for programs to run, only to find they had been caught up in some sort of endless loop! This prompted me to quickly change my major from Systems Analysis to Marketing after that first semester, vowing never again to delve into the world of computers. Fast forward 36 years (yikes I needed a calculator to figure that one out!) and here I am entering the Apple Store for my 10 minute genius appointment — with my laptop, Ipad and Iphone all in a “non-functioning” state. I had to confess dreading the scorn of the Genius Bar genius, who I feared would talk down to me in another language, condemn me for everything I had done wrong and for ignoring all of the product update reminders I had ever received, and tell me after 10 minutes that I’d have to make another appointment which I wouldn’t be available to do for another two months!
Thankfully however, Yeshua had been speaking and ministering deeply to my heart in the weeks prior about the intensity of His love for me as His bride. How His eyes like a flame of fire are piercing through me with unstoppable love, how He can’t take His eyes off of me, and how those eyes are jealous of anything I dwell on other than Him. I confessed my fears, chose to focus on how HE sees me (regardless of how anyone else does), and thanked Him in advance for matching me up with the Genius Bar person who was right for me.
I entered the store at a complete loss as to how to fix my problems, there was absolutely nothing I could do in my own strength or wisdom to get these products functioning again. The person who was assigned to me, Pete, asked what help I needed, and then he completely took over. Instead of spending 10 minutes with me, he spent 3 hours, continuing to help me as he worked with other appointments. He never condemned me, blamed me, talked down to me, or told me what I “should have done.” When I left 3 hours later, all of my three products were completely restored back to how they were originally designed to operate, and even better as they were now fully upgraded.
What instantly hit me as I left the store, was what a picture of Yeshua this man was to me in this situation. I had messed up, I didn’t follow the “owners’ manual,” I had ignored all the warnings, I could do nothing on my own ability to fix the mess I was in — yet He didn’t condemn me or make me work it out. All I had to do was come to him, and HE did all the work. HE completely restored my products to even better than how they were originally designed to function. It was exactly what Yeshua had done for me 26 years ago when my life was such a mess that I wanted to die, and I asked Him, if He was “real,” to take control of my life.
Not only did this encounter remind me of where I had come from, it is the perfect picture of Yeshua’s heart for me and you right now and in the Millennial Age to come. He is in the RESTORATION business – not only of people but of everything on this earth – including the land, atmosphere, animals, plant life, and social systems such as: government, economics, agriculture, education, entertainment, media, the arts, technology, etc. His heart is to restore ALL things! He wants to do that IN you, and then for you to partner WITH Him to restore all things around you as they were originally designed to function – “back to the garden.”
What you do NOW to increase Yeshua’s reign here on earth — interceding for governments and leaders; fighting to restore righteousness in social systems; praying and ministering healing and restoration to others; and using your spiritual weapons of warfare to increase His reign over your own hearts — will continue on into the Millennium where you will rule and reign with Him, administering righteousness and restoration in all aspects of life. You don’t have to wait until He returns!
Every morning in my quiet time, I pray and ask the Lord – “what is YOUR heart in this situation? How can I partner with you TODAY to bring about restoration, righteousness, and your end times plans and purposes?” I strongly recommend that you pray this way too, and you will be motivated, excited, and filled with a joyous sense of purpose and meaning for each day — regardless of your circumstances or what others are doing!
Lastly, what God reminded me of through this visit to the Apple Store was how much He cares about every little detail of your life and mine, even my Iphone. He knows exactly what you need. He’s not a distant, uncaring, disapproving, too-busy, or slave-driving God and Father. You don’t have to be filled with stress, fear, and dread about the daily details and needs of your life….He already knows. All He is asking from you is to focus on Him, on having intimacy with Him (which includes dealing with anything that blocks intimacy), and He will take care of the rest, He will do the work. When you stay focused on Him throughout the day — dwelling on who HE is, how HE sees you, and how much He loves you — your burdens will lift and you will be restored in Him!
He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” (Rev. 21:5)
