January 20, 2013
Happy New Year! Don’t you just love the start of a new year?
A time to reflect on your past year and think about your life? Especially on
New Year’s since I am always at the Onething conference I think where was I
this time last year? How was my heart? Man 30 was my best year so far! I loved
30!
So as most of you know on Thanksgiving weekend I turned 31
and I actually had the privilege of going to a wedding and celebrating a good
friend. It’s funny because I try to not make my birthday a reason to think
about the fact that I am not married yet and have not started my family, but seeing
as I was going to a wedding on my actual birthday, I was kind of confronted
with it. Haha So I was like you know Lord it would be awesome if you could give
me some vision for my life. I mean I am turning 31 and don’t get me wrong. Most
days I love my life and actually love the fact that I don’t have the responsibility
of being a wife and mother, but if I were to meet my husband tomorrow, I mean
it’s not like I would complain or anything. But here I am a third year student
at IHOPU. Which means I only have like a year and a half left and I am already
starting to get the question, so what are you going to do after you graduate?
Would you please just show me what You’re doing and why You have me here? So the
night before my birthday I went to bed asking for a dream and nothing. The day
of I didn’t get anything and then that night I was like ok Lord last chance
tonight in a dream? But I woke up and of course nothing. I was a little
discouraged, but to be honest it’s not like I really expected Him to answer.
So anyway that next week I went back to school and on
Wednesday in our Romans class, Holy Spirit totally hijacked the class (I love
when He does that) and Dave Sliker started talking all about the next
generation and how important it was and for maybe like 30 minutes to an hour we
talked about families and spouses and then we got into little groups and prayed
for eachother’s future spouses and children. One of my friends was so sweet and
really felt like she wanted to pray for my kids so she did. When it was done, I
really felt like the Lord had done it just for me. I mean sure there were
others in the room that I’m sure were touched but I really thought it was just
for me. Then that same day in our CEC practicum we had a guy come in a give us
a presentation on the 4/14 window. The 4/14 window is part of the 10/40 window,
which you may have heard of. The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North
Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40
degrees north latitude. The 10/40 Window is often called "The Resistant
Belt" and includes the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and
Buddhists. Anyway it’s called the 4/14 window because in the 10/40 window, the
greatest population of people in that geographic location are between the ages
of 4-14. Which means the majority are children. Now I had heard of this before,
but when he gave the presentation, it was like he was simply reiterating what
Dave Sliker had said that very morning. I felt like both classes were complete
confirmation of eachother. Then on Friday morning in the prayer room, the same
girl that prayed for me in Romans class pulled me out of the prayer room and
told me she got a word for me and proceeded to give it to me and then pray over
me. Ya’ll I have never gotten a word like this before. It was so encouraging to
my heart! Here it is:
I read a verse yesterday and felt like it was for you
related to what we talked about in Romans class (raising up the next generation).
"And your ancient ruins
shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the
foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer
of the breach,
the
restorer of streets to dwell in." -Isaiah 58:12
You are going to be a spiritual mother to generations long
after you die. I feel like you are going to have a multitude of spiritual (as
well a natural) children who can trace their spiritual heritage and inheritance
back to you.
You are going to be key in turning the generations that
follow (specifically your own family line) back to the Lord. You are going to
restore the ancient heritage of those in your family line who loved Jesus. It
reminds me of the righteous kings of Israel who repaired and restored the
temple after it had been shut down for generations by wicked kings.
You are going to clear a path on the "ancient
streets" our spiritual mothers and fathers walked on (Jeremiah 6:16, Song
of Songs 1:8) so future generations can walk them. You are doing this just by
living the way you do, following Jesus, you are making the way easier for them.
This is how you are a Forerunner. Your lifestyle is your message and it
prepares the way of the Lord. In the time of John the Baptist preparing the way
of the Lord was something a city would do for a king when he came to visit a
city. They would clear the street and make them as smooth as possible for his
entrance into the city.
I got a picture of you on an overgrown dirt road going
through a wilderness. You were on your hands and knees digging up boulders and
weeds and throwing them off to the side of the road, clearing the way. It was
slow, hard work but you were moving forward and the path was getting clear bit
by bit. Then you reached the end of your path and Jesus called you to Himself
and you went to be with Him.
Then children came and walked to the end of the path you
cleared. It didn't take them long at all because you cleared the way, but they
still had to choose to walk it. When they got to the end they saw that it went
even further and began to clear the way the same way you did. The road grew
longer and longer until they were called to be with Jesus as well. Then more
children came and started to clear the road where they ended. It went on like
this for generations. The road grew longer and longer because you started
clearing it and others followed after you, even after you were gone.
I got another picture of a street paved with gold bricks in
the New Jerusalem. It was called "Amy's Road" and was put there in
memory of the time you spent clearing the path. I believe that this either
represents the fact that Jesus will reward and honor you publicly for the time
you spend clearing the road, or it is actually the real reward He is going to
put in the New Jerusalem for you. He sees the time you spend clearing the path
and it’s as precious as pure gold to Him.
Your love for generations you will never see is the same
love Jesus had for a people who had yet to be born when He poured His life out
for them on the cross. You are pouring your life out for generations you will
never meet, who may never know the labor of love you did for them. Your love
for people you will never meet is precious!
So then the next morning I was in the shower and I had this
sudden realization, Oh my gosh. You actually answered my birthday prayer didn’t
you? That’s what this entire week was about- You giving me vision for my life.
He’s never answered me that quick before. So on Saturdays I have a small
accountability group with some girls on nightwatch, who I absolutely adore, and
I was sharing my week and everything that had happened. And one of the girls
goes, Amy He didn’t give you a dream because you could easily dismiss a dream.
He chose to speak in class, and then it went to a smaller context, your CEC
practicum, and then He gave a word to friend, and last Holy Spirit confirmed it
to you Himself when you were in the shower this morning. Talk about an answered
prayer! He’s so just so kind.
Then to top it all off, I served in CEC at the onething
conference. On one of the mornings Dave Sliker came in to talk to the kids. We
did worship and then he got up to give his message and he goes, you know I was
gonna talk to ya’ll about Jesus but when I came in here and was looking around
I was asking the Lord who you guys are and he told me so now I have a
completely different message. I love when that happens! Anyway he started by
saying you guys are missionaries. You know how when you’re little and people
ask you what do you want to be when you grow up and you say doctor, lawyer,
teacher? Well the Lord wants to give you a new vision for what you can be when
you grow up, a missionary. Now initially I was annoyed and thought great that’s
all they seem to be talking about around here. We’re equipping you so you can
go out into all the nations and preach the gospel and now they’re trying to
convince the kids too (just being honest here). But then he said something that
completely shifted how I saw being a missionary. He said did you know that
there are people living on the tops of mountains and in the lowest of valleys
that don’t know Jesus? God is raising up a generation, your generation, that’s
gonna say they’re not singing to Jesus there. They need to be singing to Jesus
there. And they will go there and start singing to Jesus and because they are
singing to Jesus, others around will start singing too. It was so simple but I
thought wow God if it’s really that simple then of course. Why wouldn’t I go
somewhere and sing to you so that others can see how beautiful you are and
start singing to you too? For the first time in my life I could see how being a missionary made sense. Then Dave asked if there was anyone in the room who
felt like this was them to stand and we were going to pray for them. So a good number
of kids stood up and I went around and was praying for them and I just had
tears streaming down my face as I was praying. It was a really beautiful moment.
At the end of that set, one of my friends, my evangelism buddy from the blitz trip
first semester, was like Amy you’re awesome. He was like you’re a really good
leader, but then you also worship. And the kids are watching you. And I thought
huh if that's true, then that’s confirmation of the part of the word that said, “You are doing this just by
living the way you do, following Jesus, you are making the way easier for them.
This is how you are a Forerunner. Your lifestyle is your message and it
prepares the way of the Lord.”
When I first started going back to church, my pastor gave a
message on the by faith chapter, Hebrews 11 I think. At the end of the message
for the prayer time, he asked us to ask the Lord to complete this sentence. By
faith and then your name… So I was like ok cool let’s see what happens. So I
said ok Lord by faith Amy… and He finished it with “Led the next generation into
the Lord’s battle.” Now you know I struggle with knowing whether or not I
actually hear God, but this was not something I could make up. I mean why on
earth would that have ever come out of my own mind? So I’ve known that I am
called to the next generation, (whatever that means or looks like) but I feel
like I am finally starting to see a glimpse of what that could look like. I don’t
know if God will call me to be a missionary. I have a sneaky suspicion He
might, and if He does, I know He is in the process of preparing my heart. But
whether I go or not, I am called to raise up those who will go. I am called to
love Jesus and sing to Him, and as I do, the next generation will see me
singing and want to sing too. It’s not about me, it truly is about the ones
coming after me. It’s about God getting the glory and the honor that He’s due
from every tribe, tongue and nation. Because when that happens, He will come.
And oh what a glorious day that will be! The wisdom of sitting in a prayer room
night after night singing to Jesus will be justified when I finally see Him face
to face and look into His eyes of fire!
