April 12, 2010

As I read today in the Joshua passage, I saw something that simply took my breath away! It's possible that I may have heard it taught before, but I don't remember it, and I certainly never "got it" with such impact. What I saw in the story about Jericho was intercession and spiritual warfare over individuals and cities. I'm not saying that we should do literally what the Israelites did, but that it is a symbolic word picture through and through, as well as the historical account.

The Lord brought a Scripture to my mind that upheld what He was saying to me (He is always so kind, isn't He, to help us understand). "A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city." Proverbs 18:19  [Many people are offended with God-- I think it's true of anyone who won't receive Him or others.]

When I read of Joshua encountering the Captain of the Hosts (He was Jesus, the Word, wasn't He!), it absolutely gave me chills. It is His battle-- we are fighting with Him as part of the army of God, and it's a spiritual one, not fought with flesh and blood, but with effective weapons against spiritual enemies-- and He is victorious! Only, we must bow before Him and obey His commands.

Rather than try to pick the story apart for an exact strategy, I will share the things that became energized to me today. I saw the seven days, seven times, seven priests, seven trumpets, as God's perfect and complete plan of redemption and restoration, the trumpets as praise of God and announcing His presence, and the circling in silence as forgiveness. What did Jesus say, "seventy times seven?" 

Oh, I could write a long essay on this! Have we ever been able to win a person who has a hardened heart-- or with walls of defense built up around them-- by trying to batter the walls down? No! And yet, it has been done to me, and I have done it to others. I have learned the hard way that if I haven't interceeded for a person, coming before God with a humble heart (to be circumcised of the selfishness, or to have the log removed from my own eye), the Lord will not allow me to speak.  If I do it without His permission and in His timing, the walls will not fall down, they will only be fortified, and often I will be the one attacked. Most of the time, a confrontation is not needed when intercession is done, declaring the Word over a person (in private, as the Spirit dictates only), and declaring the truth of their deliverance to the enemies who hold them captive-- until their enemies melt with fear. And at the proper time, we can shout the praises of God for the victory, and the walls come down without ever having attacked the person.

Rahab, a prostitute who had come to fear God and believe His Word, was saved along with her family, and everything else was devoted to destruction! There was a heavy penalty for anyone who would take something that was supposed to be destroyed. It is so important to let the Lord deal with anything in us that would hold a person to their sin, especially someone we are close to, such as a spouse,child, or close friend. It is too easy to become attached to the one we used to know, or out of some unmet need, to try to save the very things that God is burning. You could call that co-dependency. I know by experience that it is painful to go through the process of having the walls fall down, and the sinful nature burned up-- when I'm there myself, or when I'm around another who is going through the process. But we must allow the Captain of the Host to do His work.

Salvation rarely looks the way we think it should. So often it offends our proud and self-righteous spirits (religious). Just when we think the process is done within ourselves or in another, something else begins to burn or fall down. Don't forget the picture we saw of the loving Father, who forgives, receives, restores and rejoices over the one who had gone astray-- or the Good Shepherd, who leaves the 99 and goes after the one.

Now, take this picture and see how the Spirit of Wisdom might apply this to winning cities for the Kingdom of God!

March 13, 2010

Reading the Luke account of the story of Zechariah's visitation in the temple, I saw a different scenario than I had ever seen before.  Not that anything different happened, but I saw it in a different way. 

The angel Gabriel says to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard." Luke 1:13.  Gabriel went on to tell him that his wife Elizabeth would finally bear him a son.  I had always assumed that Zechariah had been praying for that son; but then I realized that, since he was standing before the altar of incense in the temple doing his priestly duties, when "the whole assembly of the people was praying outside,"  vs 10  that his prayers were for Israel: that God would "turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God." vs 16.

If bearing a son had simply been a private matter for Zechariah and Elizabeth, perhaps Gabriel would have visited them at home.  But the angel's visit to the temple during worship and prayer marked a significant turn of events for Israel.  I don't think Zechariah would have been quite so terrified when the angel showed up if it was usual then for the glory of God to appear in the temple.  This must not have happened to him before, and was unexpected. 

I also don't think that Zechariah had an expectation of receiving an answer to prayer about finally having a son.  His reaction to the news, and Gabriel's response to it, indicate that he had given up having faith about that.  I think it was Elizabeth who had the faith to have her womb opened.  Her statement was, "This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people." vs 25  I don't believe she had ever stopped entreating the Lord about her barrenness.

God's goodness and wonderful timing are showcased here, answering two separate prayers concerning barrenness: a woman's and a nation's.  God had a plan to not only bless a righteous couple who served Him, but to prepare His chosen people to receive the promised Messiah and the redemption He would bring. 

I see an application for us personally.  When we see the trouble around us, and take our cities and nations before the Lord in intercession, He will find a way to make us part of the answer.  It may just be that the long-awaited answer to the deepest longing of our heart is part of God's plan to bring His redemptive power to work in our own personal area of influence.  Isn't God awesome?