Following are four prayerful impressions that I feel are timely for the church now and as we approach a new year/season. One of the first things I heard was there is a time. Hence the title of these impressions.
(This article was previously released in October as part of Vigilance No.4. You can click on the title to read the whole journal. It includes impressions from Eddie and Beth Taylor as well. So good!)
Ecclesiastes 3:1
To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
1 There is a Time to Mature: Fully Developed
I believe the body of Christ is currently/still in a sweet spot for discipling, pressing in, and planting. The transition ahead will move us into crunch time.
If we think of it in terms of an Olympic race, we are moving past the training into the final touches or last push before the race. I’m not a runner, so there may be better terminology. But I’m using crunch time to describe the “days” right before a race when all the training gets put to a test so you can see (A) the results of the training and (B) where adjustments need to be made.
In the same way, the church is still in a sweet time of pressing in at a nice pace to create some really good habits and deep tracks, and to train with certain freedoms. But the transition ahead of us will pick up in intensity as our discipline will be tested. The crunch-time shift will be at a different pace and will expose strengths and weak spots. Necessary adjustments will need to be made. ( See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12:1-2)
Thankfully, there will be time to get things in order and become more confident as sons and daughters of God. As the days draw nearer to the Lord’s coming, more shifts will come. To be ready in the same way a runner is prepared for a race is needed—necessary.
That’s maturity.
There’s a grace for rapid maturity right now. Let’s take full advantage of it. It will be intense, but being untrained and untested will be severe.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
I had a dream recently where I saw many mouths with underdeveloped teeth. One side of each mouth was good but the other was deformed or immature. The body of Christ needs a full set of spiritually healthy teeth to devour the Word of God. God is calling us out of infancy and offering us mature food (Hebrews 5:13-14, 1 Corinthians 13:11).
I’m reminded of a description of the bride in Song of Solomon where the bridegroom says all your teeth have twins (Song of Solomon 4:2; 6:6). The bride Jesus is looking for is fully developed, fully ready, with teeth that can cut through mature food. The perseverance we need calls for maturity and to be able to divide and apply the Word of God rightly.
I had a dream earlier in the year about the Word of God being like a hammer. But the hammer had to be cultivated in order to be effective. We have to dive in, work through, apply, and soak in the Word. We have to let it wash over us and form us. It divides soul from spirit (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God doesn’t change, but it does a formative work in us.
2 There is a Time to Get Up: Song of Solomon 5:2
This is a time to get up and answer the door Jesus is knocking on. There is no better time to ask the Holy Spirit to expose the excuses made for rejecting God’s invitation to us—whatever they may be. Specifically, however, for pressing in to know him more. I found myself asking, what’s keeping me from going all in with God? Do I have both feet in the kingdom of God?
Song of Solomon 5 starts with the bridegroom desiring to be with the bride. It says of the bride, I slept but my heart was awake (vs 2). If nothing else, this picture is one of desire and good intentions. But as we continue to read, we can see that isn’t enough.
When the bridegroom called out at the door, Open to me my love, the bride’s desire was tainted with excuses. In my opinion, pretty lame ones: I’m already in bed and my feet are already clean (vs.3). The bride hears the voice of her beloved and his invitation but hesitates/stays in slumber too long. He was right there! These two excuses are easily overcome. The door wasn’t too far away or too heavy to open. There was something else holding her back.
In the same way, our awakened hearts to the Lord, our good intentions with the kingdom of God, and our desire to be with him need movement. We need feet, both feet, that will meet Jesus in the place and in the moment he is calling. God is not too hard to meet, he is not too far to reach.
Perhaps, symbolically, the scenario in Song of Solomon 5 addresses areas in us that are closed off or “hidden” from the Lord. We all have them. I’ve said prayers before like, “My door is always open, Jesus.” I love those prayers. But in this case, Jesus wants access to the places that aren’t open to him. Again, we all have them. Exposing them is part of discipleship and maturing. Another possible application is that we are satisfied with just our salvation, like the bride with her clean feet, and it’s an inconvenience to press in anymore with the Lord.
Regardless, it’s those little excuses that keep us from accepting the Lord’s invitations. It’s not because the door is too heavy or too far away. It’s not because Jesus isn’t good or near. There is a reason we are making excuses. That’s the big question.
This is a time to ask the Holy Spirit to expose the excuses we are making that reject God’s invitation. This is a time to hurdle past them and to answer the door Jesus is knocking on. The author of our faith is on the other side. The lover of our souls… The one who is holding everything together… Our heavenly bridegroom, beautiful Jesus, is on the other side of every one of his invitations with a great desire to meet with us.
3 There is a Time to Weep: Between Porch and Altar
There is a phrase in Joel that I love, between porch and altar. I hear it often in conversations about prayer. It’s hard not to think of intercession when I hear it. Recently, however, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper this phrase to me in a different way—kind of.
In a one-sentence summary, there is a need for ministers to be seen crying out to the Lord in intercession for the church (or their sphere of influence). There is a need for repentance and weeping right now more than skillfully crafted sermons and worship services.
(I’m not saying there shouldn’t be sermons and worship services. There should be! I’m saying there’s a great, pressing need for times of crying out to the Lord in corporate services.)
Let Me Explain
When Joel delivers this word to the elders and the people (1:2), the scene is bleak. An invasion of locusts had destroyed everything. The sources of livelihood were gone: grain, wine, and oil. Consequently, everything was mourning: The ground, the animals, the people, and even the priest. No sacrifices were being made because of the destruction from the locusts (1:13).
But in the middle of chapter 2, we see some relief, a hopeful invitation from the Lord. Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments…for he is gracious and merciful… (2:12-13)
This is when the phrase between porch and altar comes into play.
…Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast…gather the people…Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep…
Between the porch and altar was the public place just before the holy of holies where ministers made sacrifices.
One commentary I read emphasizes Joel’s call for the priest to get back to business, to return to what they were called to do. Blow the trumpet, gather
the people, and, then, in this public place where sacrifices are made, be a priest and cry out to the Lord.
Modern Day Locust
I’m not predicting an army of locusts. I will, however, liken the locust in Joel to modern-day destruction I see devouring the body of Christ. The locust of culture alone has swarmed individuals to the point we don’t know up from down, right from wrong, idol from God, male from female, or life from death. It has cut its way into the church.
Judgmental mindsets may be another type of locust hopping through the church. In the shaking that is happening, we will continue to see darkness exposed, even in the body of Christ. It’s easy to say “they,” and point our fingers and pin the blame. But couldn’t we cry out for mercy and restoration instead? If we are a body, then we should grieve instead of judge when one of our parts is being devoured by the schemes of the enemy like locusts in a wheat field.
There is a day coming when everything will be judged. It will be great and terrible. The only one worthy, wise enough, and able to sift, sort, and judge is Jesus. Meanwhile, we get to mature in discernment. Discernment is a shield, not a weapon. And it’s covered in mercy. We also get to experience both sides of forgiveness.
I’ll stop there. But I pray we can see how modern-day locust are affecting the body of Christ.
What Does This Mean For Us?
This is a time to gather together and cry out to the Lord for mercy and restoration (and whatever else the Spirit reveals) in wholeheartedness. There is a need for it to be ministered-led—for the priests to do what they are called to do. There is a need for the assembling to be public or in corporate services—let the congregation see the ministers demonstrating intercession and weeping and repentance.
Thank God for the prayer teams that meet on Tuesday mornings in the back rooms of churches. Praise God for the faithful intercessors! But this need exceeds that time and place.
Because we are all ministers to the Lord under the new covenant, I believe minister-led extends to any place you have influence. For example, worship leaders could gather their worship team and cry to the Lord together before rehearsals. Heads of the family could gather their families for prayer night instead of movie night. Small group leaders could gather the group for prayer night instead of potluck, etc. If the phrase between porch and altar is resonating with you, ask the Holy Spirit to show you the ways you can implement it in your sphere of influence whether it is family, business, church, or beyond.
Of course, public prayer should be fueled by private prayer. I believe that’s part of the rend your hearts, not your garments instruction. Private prayer is mark of maturity.
Good News!
The best part about the book of Joel is what happens when the people weep and cry out to the Lord.
The Lord becomes jealous for his land and has pity on his people (2:18)
The Lord sends rain in abundance (2:23)
The Lord restores the grain, the wine, and the oil (2:24-25)
The Lord pours out his Spirit on all flesh (2:28-29)
That’s what we want.
4 There is a Time For War: the Purity of the Word
I had another dream while I was praying about impressions to share.
To keep it short and simple, the cleanliness that comes from the Word of God (Psalm 119:9, Ephesians 5:26) is the very thing that crushes/impales the head of the enemy, temptations, and the sin that is crouching at our doors (Matthew 4, Genesis 4:7, Ephesians 6:17).
When we resist the devil and his schemes, we should do it with the Word of God. It is most effective. Jesus demonstrates this as he is tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4). All three times, Jesus used the Word to resist evil.
Ignoring and hiding are not weapons. This is a time for war. The purity that comes with God’s Word cannot be trumped. It will crush and silence the enemy.
Last Thoughts
I know that is a long post. The only thing I would add to it is a post from the Advent series a couple of weeks ago about John the Baptist. It feels significant. You can read The Way of Peace by clicking the title.
Happy New Year!
Brave Sparrow 