It’s been nearly three-months since coming back to the mainland. In this time, since the nine-weeks on Vancouver Island searching out an ancient well of the Spirit, the various options for a house of prayer have been sifting through my awareness, heart and mind and spirit.
It takes time to discern the Lord and our own hearts. What manner might fit for decades to come? Will this be a public space or a private retreat, a place where anyone can find us or a place to invite and welcome personally and individually?
What might be the timing? How might we hold all things loose before the Lord and allow the unfolding of God? We envision, imagine, daydream even, creating a coherence of thought and emotion within heart and mind; we become a ready match for what the Lord might want to do with us. And then we release it all back to God.
We loose our own ego from the end result. We don’t know what God might want to do, exactly! We simply stand in anticipation, glad to partner with the Lord, testing out our movement with God in our minds, but remaining nimble and submitted to the details as God may unfold them.
Two months ago I had a conversation with a gentleman from the community in which we have discerned the ancient well of the Spirit. There were numerous points, sensing and leading of the Holy Spirit, exact matches in many ways, all confirming that ‘yes’ this is the community to which the Lord would have us establish a House of Prayer.
But, we will not rush at that. Out-of-time with the Lord results in a miscarriage or a still-birth. We will not squander what God is putting together. We walk in careful steps with the leading of the Lord.
Thing is, a house of prayer is not a project to be managed. A house of prayer is a strategic move of God, part of Capturing Courage Int’l Ministries four-part lifting of nations to the Lord. We know the end point, we wait out the exact middle points.
A house of prayer is a body of people intent upon seeking the Lord and only the Lord. A people with hearts sensitive to Holy Spirit. Hearts ready to repent and to make right what has gone wrong, in self but also on behalf of others. A repentance that is glad to come on the inside, to discern the things that stand in the way between community and God, nations and God, and to take responsibility for these things.
A house of prayer boldly positions itself to claim sin as our own, and to thereby scoop up evil, offence, tragedy, simple selfishness and so much more, out of the dominion of satan, bringing all this over to the kingdom of God, where sin loses its authority, where tears are dried, where life springs forth, where humanity is restored, renewed, revived; we are made new in the Lord.
A house of prayer is an intercession that makes no excuses, refuses to blame, makes no defence, refuses to dismiss evil, but gladly draws near to the world to take on the stones, just as Christ has done this for us; we position ourselves in solidarity and manner with the heart of the Father and we stand in the spiritual authority of a people who seek God.
The work of this has been happening for some time already. God goes before us. And is our rear guard. Many have been sensing and preparing for the same thing. Holy Spirit is orchestrating our hearts, minds, and lives in the Lord. And we are glad to gather together, in Spirit, in person, in the Lord. To hear from God. And to agree. To bring our witness to all that God is and does and leads us in.
All Glory to the Lord.
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord,
and apart from me there is no savior.
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.”
Isaiah 43:10-12
Capturing Courage :: Canada 