Word for the Church: There Is a Rising Wind

It's been a while since I've posted a blog; I've been in the harrowing final push of a master's degree and can hardly wait until May 8th when I emerge victorious from the fray with a diploma and a teaching license in the proverbial hand.

All that aside for a moment, though. The Holy Spirit gave me a prophetic word this morning. As I posted on Facebook a month or more ago, I've been "listening from the kitchen," as the Lord instructed me to do during this busy, busy semester. I've continued my Mary times at Jesus' feet in the mornings, but my Martha times have largely taken over. During the busyness, I have been keeping my ears open to hear and revel in the sound of my Master's voice.

Going back for a moment to my earlier prophetic word, Word for the Church: Watchman on the Wall, I want to point out a detail that was included in the imagery the Holy Spirit showed me -- one I'd almost missed -- but which I now believe to be significant: 

I had described a vision the Lord gave me of a theater stage. I'd gone into detail about some animals that arrived on the stage and danced and played for a minute or two before the deer arrived and the flags of the nations of the world began whirling above it, before arranging themselves in the form of a totem pole and stacking on top of the deer's neck, crushing the head to the stage floor. In the blog post, I explained the meaning of the vision.

The first animal I saw, though, before the deer... was a bear. And as other portions of the prophetic word began to snap into place over the last weeks with Russia gathering troops and preparing to invade Ukraine, I realized that a symbol for Russia has always been the bear. The bear was the first animal on the stage.

This is significant, because I believe Russia's choice to invade Ukraine is the spark that begins a series of events that will set into place end-times prophetic fulfillment. There are many more eloquent and coherent speakers and writers who can describe in much more knowledgeable detail how Scriptural prophecy undergirds the times in which we're living, so I'll leave that to those people (I highly recommend Stephen Armstrong's Revelation Bible study with VBVMI; it is excellent and entirely Scripture-based).

Meanwhile, I want to say: Lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.

Coming back to this morning's vision: The Holy Spirit showed me a dark night on a wind-swept plain, edged by a large forest. In the clear portion of the plain was a small hut with a shut door. Beside the door was a hook from which hung an open lantern. A candle inside the lantern was lit, but the wax and wick were low, and the light from it wavered unsteadily.

A woman sat below the lantern, her back against the closed door, her eyes dull and hopeless. She seemed to have been waiting for something, but she was tired, so tired. The candle kept sputtering, and it seemed terrible to me that the flame was about to go out, because it would have been dark indeed. I wanted the woman to take the lantern off the hook and curl herself over it, to keep it safe from elements around.

I heard the words: There is a wind rising. And as the words came to me, there was a roaring sound over the plain as the wind swept across it and struck the hut, the candle, and the woman. 

I didn't see whether or not the candle went out, because my attention was drawn to the tree line at the edge of the plain, where I saw another hut and another woman and another open lantern with a candle. This candle, too, burned low, but the attitude of the woman was vibrant. She stood up, rather than sitting, she held the lantern high in the rising wind, and while the flame hitched and fluttered, it stayed lit, and even grew larger. It grew so large, that it caught on the branches above the hut and the tree burst into flames, which caught the next tree and the next tree and the next until the entire forest was aflame, lit in the beginning with the sparks from the candle.

We think of forest fires as destructive (and they are); this did not seem to be the focus. The fire lit the world almost to the brightness of day, and hope seemed vibrant, because the harder the wind blew, the stronger the flames of the forest burned.

In Matthew 25, Jesus talks with His disciples about the times of the end: "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

"'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

"Later, the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" (Matthew 25:1-13).

In my vision, my candles weren't oil lamps, and there weren't ten virgins, but there was a woman who was weary and unprotective of her flame, and there was a woman who used the wind the strengthen her flame and set ablaze something much larger than herself.

The wind truly is rising out there. If you and I have faith in a returning Savior, we have a flame. But... how will we treat it? With hopelessness when the wind grows in strength? Pushing it to one side while we focus on the dark night? Or do we lift our flame high and allow it to catch others?

2 Timothy 1:6 says: "For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." The NKJV says: "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Fear destabilizes the mind, and it sure isn't a fruit of the Spirit. We can walk in power and love and soundness of mind, because the Holy Spirit gives us that gift when we trust Him, trust His word, trust His promises. He is returning. He will do exactly as He promised; He has never failed before, and His word is sure!

Holy Spirit, send Your revival fire in the midst of the rising wind! 

"I tell you these things so that in Me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).