A Year to be Silent, and Listen.

Thoughts, meditations and gleanings - a one-year season of prayer, study and remaining publicly silent. July 2020 - 2021

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…” Revelation 2:7 (NKJV)

Wednesday, 1 July 2020

During the six weeks of being away from vocational ministry, I’ve taken the time to pray and reflect on the season I am in, as well as the state of the church and our nation. So many thoughts and anecdotes run through my mind as to how to “fix” things; how do we bring the church back to a state of effectiveness and spiritual awakening?

In this season, one penetrating impression I continue to receive from the Holy Spirit is to take one year away from the pulpit - I am not to preach or publish my blogs until after July 1, 2021. I continue to sense that there are things that will be spoken to me by the Holy Spirit, for me, for the church, and for the nation, that are not to be released until the message has been burned in my heart and spirit. As I have pondered this, desiring counsel and accountability, I messaged Dr. Tennant what I sensed the Lord was saying. Tuesday, June 30th, she responded, “Yes....that rings true to me about not preaching for a year. God's got a lot for you and wants to pack it into you and then let it spring forth at the right time. It is the perfect season to listen and get ahead of the curve for future leadership. Praying…” With this confirmation, this season begins today!

Beginning today, Father forgive me of sin, all sin; anything that hinders you speaking to me and my ability to hear your voice; wash me and make me clean. Open my heart and my ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to your church. Jesus, I love you and I worship you! May the proof of my desire be found in my pursuit of your presence, a greater sensitivity and awareness to who you are and how you are desiring to change me, speak to me and speak to your church. Holy Spirit, please have your way.

As I hear the many voices coming from national and international pulpits, making declarations of “What I hear God saying is…”, the message is muddled, self-serving and self-servicing. Two words are prominent in their message, “Blessing and Breakthrough.” These self-proclaimed prophets and apostles stand in arrogance, in a time of great national difficulty, a time of civil unrest, a global pandemic and a political fire storm, and are peddling the supposed blessings of God – they are selling their version of Jesus. At what point will there be a cry from pulpits, a call for repentance, humility and brokenness. The frequent quoting of 2nd Chronicles 7:14, rushes over the “humble themselves” and focuses on “If my people… pray.” So, the praying has become nothing more than lifting up, unclean hands and unrepentant hearts, petitions asking God to bless us, heal us, deliver us without us meeting the prerequisite of humility.

The Psalmist wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” Notice verses 3 and 4, “3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully." A question we must ask, are prayers not being heard in this season for this simple reason, we cannot stand in the holy place or ascend into Christ’s presence because our hands are unclean, and our souls are attached and lifted up to idols?

May we, the redeemed of the Lord, find ourselves at the foot of the cross, in humility, and ask our God to have mercy on us, on this generation, and restore to us the joy of his wonderful salvation. May we who are called the church, one more time humble ourselves and come before his throne in confidence and fear and trembling. Let us who minister, weep between the porch and the altar and say, forgive us of our sin, heal our land and awaken your church. Only then will we see the hand of God begin to work in us and through us in purity and holiness.