So, here’s the thing. When you pray for God to move, to strike up revival, to use you, He might actually DO it. I know the church has been praying for revival for a long time, but nobody actually expected (or, in my opinion, wanted) it. Change is just too uncomfortable. We like our lives. American Christians enjoy complacency – surrounding ourselves with menial everyday things. “God, meet us where we are but please don’t make us suffer.”
Kind of connected to this, and kind of on a buzz-high of a rant, here’s something crazy that’s going on in my life right now.
All black, fuzzy, out of focus. The world of my dream hard to touch and easily forgettable. Mind barely comprehending, confused and cloudy, separated from body and motion.
And into my dream popped something so solid and real I knew it must truly be happening.
I was holding my phone. It had to be mine, not a subconscious fabrication of desire. The cheap walmart phone with nail polish on the “x” button and “i” beginning to peel.
There was a text message on the screen. I couldn’t see who it was from, but I could clearly read it. Acts 2:18. “That’s cool,” I thought. “Someone sent me a Bible verse.”
When I awoke from this experience several weeks ago, everything from that other world fell away. Everything except the text message. It was so real I could almost still feel the phone in my hand.
“Hey that’s pretty neat. Jesus sent me a text message.”
The thought was half joking, but I was still curious to see exactly what verse I was sent. I jumped out of bed (a RARE occurrence I assure you!), flipped on my desk lamp, and pulled out my Bible. Opening to that passage I found that I’d highlighted that whole section of scripture.
What’s happened is that Peter stood up and addressed a crowd at pentecost, quoting the prophet Joel who had been speaking about the end times (read Joel 2:28-32 for the original).
My verse specifically was this (Acts 2:18):
“Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
Wow, that’s pretty interesting. But it really didn’t catch my attention. “Yeah, prophecy’s not really my thing. Sooooo….MOVING ON!”
I’ve been steadily reading through Paul’s letters, a few chapters every morning. The day before I’d left off with 1 Corinthians 13 so, after my excursion into the book of Acts, I flipped to chapter 14 for my pre-class devotion of the day.
Check it out (1 Corinthians 14:1):
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”
Hey now.
Especially the gift of prophecy?! Both men and women?!
Okay, God, you’ve got my attention.
Of all spiritual gifts that I’ve ever read about or heard taught on, prophecy wasn’t ever one I was drawn to. Healing, maybe. But not so much this one. In fact, my most common reaction to the “prophets of our time” is EXTREME SKEPTICISM.
Yet, as someone who doesn’t believe whatsoever in coincidence, I could not ignore this. Unfortunately, chemistry lecture would not wait for the revelations of heaven, and I had to dash off to class.
But I couldn’t shake those verses, or the chills I had after reading them. What in the world did it all mean? And why was it directed at me?
Here I am. Barely surviving school. Sure I’m getting good grades. But all I do is study. Once again struggling with chronic illness and depression, struggling to find a solid group of friends, feeling generally emotionally raw.
And now I’m supposed to be a prophet or prophetess or whatever???
They thought I was weird before….
So here’s what I know. After talking to my mom and studying scripture more thoroughly I have a more solidly biblical understanding of what a prophet is. Not only can they foretell the future as a result of divine revelation, prophets are solidly grounded in truth. They see what is wrong in the world and speak out against it with the authority of God. Prophets have discernment from the Spirit in life’s situations.
Words of Wisdom.
That’s what my mom called it when I told her that I knew. I knew about the situation my dad had gotten himself into a full year before it came out. It was the ultimate thing that separated my parents three and a half years ago, and I knew about it.
How did I know? Every time it would come to my mind I would shake it away. No 14 or 15 year old child wants to believe such terrible things about her father. But they were there. And it all turned out to be true.
Time and again it has happened, these Words of Wisdom. Something would come to my mind, sometimes something nice, often times something horrible. Thoughts about people and situations. STOP BEING SUCH A JUDGY PERSON, I would tell myself. Then I would turn out to be right. Frighteningly, terribly, inescapably right.
I haven’t had such a “Word” in a while. But the fact that it’s happened before won’t leave my mind. Especially in light of these most recent events.
Just over the past few days it keeps coming up. Last night I went to a community group bible study for the first time (props to the crazy friend who dragged me out). The leader is a seminary professor at my school and told us something crazy. He and a ton of other professors on this campus have been praying fervently for revival to break out among and as a result of these students. *cue chills* Then this morning I heard a teaching that highlighted the spiritual gifts of Romans 12:6-8. Guess which one caught my attention? (Hint: more chills)
What does all of this mean? How am I going to apply this in life to change the world for the cause of Christ? Honestly, I don’t have the foggiest idea. But it WON’T GO AWAY. So here it all is. We’ll see what God does.
Yet I will say this – it is clear that these are the end times. And it is quite obvious that God has been moving in powerful ways. So please permit me to say:
Welcome to revival.
Life's Destination 