A Sign of the Times
“It’s times like these…”
Here’s how it looks at my house right now. I’m sitting at the table drinking my morning coffee with my feet very happily soaking in a tub of Epsom salts (because I’m pampering them, not because they hurt) and scrolling through FB from my iPad. Yes, that’s multitasking, but then God shows me this image of me cruising down the highway at a high rate of speed like I used to do when I was much younger. Then I get pulled over. Did I not see the signs? I’ve entered into a zone where traffic moves much slower. Why is it slower? It is probably for safety reasons, so take it easy and enjoy the views.
Yep. That’s an accurate image of how it feels to be me right now. Here’s the thing though, life passes by pretty quickly. It’s a race, but it’s not a race. We have a destination, but we’re not competing with anyone else to get there first. And it’s the Lord assigning the lanes and setting the pace. If we don’t give up and quit too soon, we’ll all make it to the finish line and receive a victor’s crown.
When I lived in Illinois and Missouri, churches and ministries hosted opportunities for encountering God (usually on Friday nights and ending around midnight). But last night, a pastor friend invited me to join an inaugural “All Night Prayer” event for a whopping 10.5 hours. In case you don’t know, I live in Kentucky now, and this event broke up a lot of fallow ground. Hosea 10:12 reminds us to break up our fallow ground, “for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” (KJV).
Honestly, those first 8 hours of the prayer meeting flew by but the last two hours were brutal. I was so tempted to leave. I had already been up most of the night the day before, so my sleep levels were low, and my body started to feel nauseous. I could have left, but I was determined to finish what I started. And you know what? It blessed my socks off!
When I first arrived in Kentucky, this little church had less than 100 people attending every week. God led the pastor to start a daily spirit-led prayer session on social media two years ago. This filled a heart-need, and it also filled the seats in the church.
We started the evening with at least a hundred folks. We ended up 10.5 hours later with over forty people committed to staying the entire time. I had no part in planning this event. I wasn’t in charge. I didn’t speak except in corporate worship, prayer, and praying in tongues along with everyone else. My heart and spirit needed this.
Today, after a few hours of sleep, I feel very full. I’m grateful for this divine reset and left greatly encouraged by the many people who sacrificed their Friday evening sleep to be a part of something great as we purposefully slowed down to shift our gaze to the Lord.
I’m thinking of The Field of Dreams: "If you build it, they will come.” The whole world is watching. Let’s show them what being One Body with Christ as the Head is like. Timid people rejoice! Our actions sometimes speak louder than words. I’ll count this as a sign of the spiritual wildfires sweeping through the state and nation, and I’m excited to be a part of what the Lord is doing now. I am grateful for the kindness of the Lord, Who invites us to sit with Him to break up the fallow ground of our hearts. The New Century Version of Hosea 10:12 says, “Plant goodness, harvest the fruit of loyalty, plow the new ground of knowledge. Look for the LORD until he comes and pours goodness on you like water.” Verse 13 says that when we trust in our own power, we have plowed evil and will harvest trouble, eating the fruit of our lies.
Beloved friends, traveling along the Lord’s Highway of Holiness is like a narrow path or shortcut to get us where we need to go. Still, we can’t get there apart from Him, so let’s strive to keep God first in all areas of life.
