A few Saturdays ago we had a small gathering of 15 or so women at our home. A precious God heart had strategically and wonderfully acted upon an inspired idea to hold an intergenerational, unscripted worship and prayer time…..it’s primary focus – to uplift and praise God! This was always headed for encounter with God, with that recipe applied.
This blog is purely about my experience and some observations about the morning, because testifying is a key part of armouring up for the future and being inspired in the more challenging times. This is a testimony to God’s goodness to all of us all of the time, and I aim to note a few things that happened which will hopefully encourage you.
- Worship – This time was just stunning!!!!!!! We were initially led by our precious friend, pianist and songstress, who had selected a great list of Holy Spirit, God and Jesus focused music. We sang ‘Christ is Enough’, this seemed to reflect a declaration of the truth and trust. This brought us close to the One. It settled our hearts into a safe place to share, to invest, to pour out, to connect, to love, to dance, to lay, to lift, to worship the One who deserves it ALL. Many had encounters during this time. Some worshiped in ways that they had never done in traditional church environments.
- There were moments in worship where I felt the angels singing with us, like there were more than just the 15 or so voices, but a sea of voices…. as I felt God’s pleasure and enjoyment that we were adoring Him – without reservation or distraction. It is a rare and precious time when we put Him first, before all else and elevate Him to His true place in our hearts, minds and lives. This beautiful group of treasured hearts chose to leave behind their traditional Saturday morning routines and give God some time.
- We honoured Father God. We honoured Holy Spirit. We honoured King Jesus.
- Singing the song ‘What a beautiful name’….during this song there was a moment where we could have just sung His name over and over again. As we sang His name…..the name of Jesus – I felt it was all we needed to do in that moment, because it encompassed all things in one name. Jesus is power, Jesus is healing, Jesus is comfort, Jesus is Might, Jesus is the answer to all questions, Jesus is interceding on our behalf, Jesus is sacrifice, Jesus is redemption, Jesus is HOPE, Jesus is FAITH, Jesus is LOVE…He is all of this and so much more. Bringing this song before Him was P O W E R F U L !!!!!
- God encountered many women through the worship…as one precious friend commented that she had few moments that were so pure with her Father God, my heart knew exactly what she meant. It was an honour and privilege to be a part of something so powerful and yet so altogether lovely. It does something within, when we set apart time to spend with God at any point…but when that time is spent in unison with others in the same heart and mindset – WOW!!!!! I physically felt warmth surrounding us, I felt God’s delight and love for us all, my body was buzzy when I found myself caring only about what God thought and no one else.
- Jesus came to me in the form of a dream a few days prior to the meeting….In the dream he came to bring each woman a beautiful box. Made from the most exquisite materials and tied with a translucent bow. The gift was handed to each one, in their own way. Each woman was encouraged to open the box lid, some tissue paper folded over encased the gift within. We gently lifted the tissue being so delicate, we didn’t wish to tear it. Inside was a personal gift, from Jesus to each woman. Some shared of their gift and others just enjoyed the personal moment of intimacy with the Son. I cannot share with you others stories, because it is theirs to share, but each was given exactly what Jesus wanted to communicate, encourage or invest into each one. One woman had something restored to her, another had a vision reaffirmed, one more still had a surprising gift given to her just because He knew her and what she loved. A good friend had something invested in her, a promise for the future and it was of great worth to her. Another woman received something that was intimate and also prophetic for her.
- There were many words of encouragement given.
- Many pictures and powerful declarations.
- God’s word shone throughout and provided confirmation and scaffolding for the day.
- Throughout it all, there was the heartbeat of getting back to the heart of worshipping God. Leaving behind all the distractions of life and giving full glory to the King of Kings!!!!
- We prayed for one another. We joined together united in intercession for those that had tough seasons. It was a delight to be involved in such a thing.
Now for what I personally received on that day…..first a little background info.
A number of years ago our family attended a prayer day where we were given a prophetic word by a 12 year old girl. She had not met us before, knew nothing about us, but the words she spoke were straight from the heart of God for us. Included in this time, she said that our home was going to be used mightily for God. She called it a God home. She said people would walk through the front door and be healed. She saw many healings, particularly emotional. She saw people being able to come and rest with the King of Kings. At this same event, my hubby saw a picture of the lounge room playing worship 24/7 and I had seen at the same event that same room being a soaking place for those needing refreshment.
Unbeknown to that 12 yr old darling, at the time we had just moved into our new home, which was a gift from God to us. This word, had been in the back of my mind for many years, we felt to create a specific room that had no technology in it. This room was purely for the purpose of community, worship, soaking, meeting, prayer and whatever else God brought to it.
Fast forward to a few Saturday’s ago and the joy I felt come over me from the very beginning was tangible. Seeing the women come in and be welcomed. Grabbing a coffee or their drink of choice and connect with others – well….that part warmed my heart so much, and the worship had not even begun. Throughout the day, I felt the Father say to me time and time again. I am bringing that word from the 12 year old girl to life! It is coming into being. It is happening now. This word brought and continues to brings such delight to me. I am so incredibly thankful for His kindness to me and I am in awe of His ability to exceed all expectation I might have. I look forward to that word being fully realised as we meet together and give God all the glory!
Bring on MORE of these kinds of times Father.
Let us worship you in purity and in truth.
Let us come before you and give you praise.
Father, prepare us to receive all the things you want to bless us with, all the gifts you want to shower upon us, all the refreshment that comes with spending time in your presence.
Bring more times without agenda. Bring refreshment to souls through these times. Do what you did on that day, again and again….and MORE.
I am reminded of a friend’s comment about the day, I came in tired and after such a long day, I feel more refreshed than when I arrived.
Father, we know that with you all things are refreshing. You don’t long for more events and calendar commitments, but more time with YOU in relationship.
Show us how to do this effectively in this culture Father. Amen. xxxxx