Even though the Lord has called us to “equip believers in effectual fervent prayer and worship”, He is actually about that work whether we’re even conscious of it or not - take a few weekends ago, for example.  My family jumped into our minivan and headed over to a friends house to have an impromptu prayer and worship time.  It ended up just being the Jackson Five (us), and this woman and one of her teenage daughters - no one else ended up making it.  So, we fellowshipped for a little while and then I broke out the guitar and just began to sing some worship songs, which turned into spontaneous singing, which turned into prophetic singing, which turn into intercessory singing, which led to spoken prayers from other folks in the room, and lots of scripture reading that was on topic for what the Lord was saying to us.

After probably an hour or so of this, we had quieted down and I was just playing some simple chord progression and listening to the Lord and thinking about all He’d just said through His written Word and His children, when I heard the teenage daughter singing spontaneously.  I got extra quiet trying to “make room for her”, and Robin saw what was going on and began exhorting her to sing out.  It started feeling a little too “high pressure” for me, so I picked the volume back up with some worship, hopin that she would pick her volume up to and gain some air speed, so then I could drop back down some and encourage her to keep singing out.  Well, along with Robin’s persistence and encouragement, the girl began to sing the song she had in her heart and some relevant scripture, and Robin began to intermingle with her with some prayer.

Her lyrics struck a prophetic chord that we began to revolve around and focus on - that the Lord would “take off the lid over Van Buren”.  Unbeknownst to me, this lined up with a prophetic vision shared with the believers at The River Fellowship in Alma a while back, that I’ll simply call “The Lid” that you can go and read here.

But, before you do that, I just want to point out the faithfulness of the Lord to do through us what He has asked us to do, even when we’re not completely aware of it.  He was equipping this thirteen-year-old daughter of the King in the prophetic, in prayer, and in vocal/musical worship all in one night.  “Thank you, Lord!  You are raising up those who will stand, contend, proclaim, and wait on You and Your will for our region.”

Even though Robin and I are having some difficulties adjusting to the time demands of all of the things we are committed to right now, I felt like I was suppose to say yes to a request for some emergency computer help for a believer from another country, who has basically been used by the Lord to start one of the most effective and wide-spread christian works (read ‘church’ - i.e. evangelizing, discipling, pastoring believers) in a muslim country (that shall remain nameless).

He desparately needs to get his computer functional again, because while he is in the states, he uses it to communicate with the leaders and believers in his home country (and a few others) so he can disciple and teach them one-on-one and via conference calls, the internet, etc.  (Which, to even his amazement, has been extremely effective, since the Lord has asked him to be here in the States and unable to meet with them face-to-face.)  As we’re working on his computer, we indulge in a sparse amount of small talk about his country, what the Lord has called Robin and I to do, the history of the work the Lord has been involved with, etc.  (I want to share the testimony of what the Lord has done recently in one of the largest cities in his country, through a group of students who found this brother, met with him and some of his leaders for 3 days of fasting and prayer, and the amazing break-in of the gospel taking the church in that city from 40 to 400 in a matter of weeks - but maybe some other time.)

Instead, he shares with me about how when he is traveling, he always asks the Lord about what He thinks about each city or region that he passes through.  One time, as he was driving into Arkansas from Oklahoma, he asked the Lord about our region.  Then, as he was about to cross the state line, the Lord showed him a simple, yet profound picture that lines up with so many other words and visions seen and spoken over our area.  He saw a heavy “lid” sitting on top of our entire region that was keeping our prayer in, and the full glory of the Lord out.  On the rim of the lid was written the word “reason”.  As he asked the Lord about it, he was confident that it meant intellectual-type reasoning, i.e. our own thoughts that exalt themselves against the thoughts of the Lord, and our excuses and “reasons” for why He isn’t moving in miraculous power in our region.

Immediately the Lord reminded him of a previous scripture that the Lord had taken him to weeks earlier about Ezekiel 47 and the depths of the river that flowed from the temple of God.  The Lord had highlighted to him that the river flowed from the throne, and that the throne was the place of constant intercession - where Jesus sits and continually makes intercession for us.  As the intercession continues to increase and rise, so does the water-level of the Lord’s glory and presence - a healing and renewing river like the one in Ezekiel.  (* see the note at the end of this post about literal translations versus types & shadows)

These two elements, “the lid” and “the water” are an amazing and beautifully confirming recurrance that happen in almost every prophetic word spoken over our region.  I’ve yet to encounter any of the people who have delivered these words that are in any way familiar with any of the previous words spoken.  One, because they have been kept as “word of mouth” more than anything (which I seek to rectify at some point soon) - so they’d have no access to them.  And two, because they’ve all been from different states or countries.

In this post, I just wanted to draw the connection between how the Lord is equipping His children to hear His voice and contend for what He speaks - namely, the thirteen-year-old He had sing about “the lid” a few weeks ago.  I will come back later and summarize some of the other words spoken over our region that line up with these elements and are wonderful fuel for intercession for our region.

* Note: I feel like the Lord does use His Word actively and alive in this way, to show us types of things He desires to do in different times and places.  However, I personally believe the river that Ezekiel saw is a literal river that will restore the waters, sea-life, and plant-life that are destroyed during the seals and bowl judgements of the Lord - but that doesn’t mean it’s not a example of something that is the will of the Lord, and is indeed something the Lord could use to illustrate another desire of His heart…. make sense?  There is a fine line between (A) guarding your doctrine closely, believing (like I do) that unless the Bible says something is an illustration, symbol, type, shadow, hyperbolic teaching tool, parable, etc, then it should be assumed to be literal; and (B) knowing that by studying the Bible and comparing all of our thoughts, dreams, visions, beliefs, etc, we can learn what the Lord “sounds like”, “looks like”, and “acts like”, and can then use it as the measuring stick with which we can “practice discernment through constant use” as Paul exhorts us.

“And after they had prayed…” Lord, we’re asking You to shake this place - this region, these members, and these living temples, and here are a few corporate prayer times coming up that You are welcome to use.

Sept 7th & 8th @ Crossroads Church in Alma, AR @ 7pm nightly
IHOP-KC Worship & Ministry Team
including Corey & Dana Russell

Every Thursday and Saturday night starting September 27th until the beginning of December (at least)
The Furnace FS @ City Christian Fellowship in Fort Smith, AR
Thursdays 7-9pm (can’t remember who this team will be, but I’ll edit later)
Fridays 6-8pm (team led by Aaron Jackson)

October 20th @ New Wineskins Prayer Room in Brunswick Place, Downtown Fort Smith
10am - 10pm
Solemn Assembly

“From House to House”
We’re already doing this in a really small scale with close friends as I try to find some musicians and ponder how to handle some sound issues without making things too complicated… but, feel free to request a night where we can get together with you and some of your Family to join in prayer and worship for what’s on your hearts and the heart of the Father.