"'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:10-11
Our ministry team here in Northern California has been waiting on the Lord in what He has called, "A Holy Pause" over the past several months. As we have obeyed this instruction to pause and wait without any agenda but to be with one another in His presence, wonderful things have been happening.
At first we found ourselves a bit uncomfortable with the "stillness" that came in having no agenda or active plan. The only thing that the Lord clearly told us was to gather regularly--those with a heart to "know and be known" and have evenings of fellowship. This past spring we began to do just that. At first many came, excited at the idea of getting to know one another intimately. But as the weeks went by, some people couldn't understand why we weren't "doing" anything. We were; we were obeying the Lord's request. Waiting on the Lord and obeying His voice is the seed of all things that will grow fruit.
|
Vision: Self-Driven Winds
As I was waiting on the Lord recently, He began to show me a vision of when He and His disciples were in the boat during the huge storm (while Jesus slept). In this vision, I saw the disciples awaken the Lord and then I saw Him look at the waves, but they were not waves made of water, but waves made of arms. It was a mass ocean of people waving their arms up and down like a bird would, and it gave the appearance of great waves. The amazing thing was that it was producing an amazing amount of wind that was literally going to capsize the "boat" if it wasn't calmed. Then the Lord looked out at this great mass of people and said, "Quiet. Be still!" (just as He had spoken to the waves 2,000 years ago).
Then I heard the verse out of Proverbs 11:29, "He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind...."
At this point, the Holy Spirit spoke and said, "I'm calming the self-driven winds that have caused much adversity in My family." I began to realize that the masses of people which I saw waving their arms were God's people who were living by a "self-driven" wind. The people were weary and exhausted from all the work.
Then I heard the Lord say once again, "'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:10-11
His words also came, "I have invited My people to enter a 'holy pause' which will calm the self-driven winds of man that have wearied them. Be still and wait for My wind, because when you catch My wind, you will soar and go where I want to take you without becoming weary and fainting." Then I heard the following verses:
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:28-31
Calming the Storm: A Holy Pause
Often people's experiences in the Church have been like being a passenger on a boat in a storm. I have only been on a cruise ship once, and part of my experience involved one night in a storm that tossed this huge ship like a toy boat. The storm was so bad, the crew had to close all the outside decks, and most of the passengers went to their rooms too seasick to enjoy their evening or even sleep. Does the Body of Christ feel storm tossed, unable to find rest for their weary souls?
Whether it is a father, mother, sister or brother, if you bring trouble on your family it produces a wind that causes a storm that rocks the boat and affects everyone in the family. Some of the problems and troubles that have come were not caused intentionally, but came as a result of our lack of intimacy with the Lord and with His family. Many are too "storm sick" to even find rest. But, as we see in the vision that the Lord gave, He is calming this storm and allowing a time of "pause" to deliver us, heal us, and to teach us how to wait for the wind of the Lord.
Let's look at the story of Jesus calming the storm from the Book of Mark:
"That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.' Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?'
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!'" Mark 4:35-41
|
Although this was a physical storm and a real boat, it is also a very accurate picture of what God is saying to the Church today. In the midst of our troubles and storms, it somehow seems that many feel as though the Lord is asleep. But, He has heard your cry and is speaking the same words that He spoke to that storm so long ago: "Quiet! Be still!"
He has come to speak to the winds that have come upon His family and He is ushering in a very purposeful time of calm and stillness. This calm is creating a "Holy Pause" which allows the Lord to go into depths within each of us individually and corporately, and is ushering many into emotional and relational healing, deeper revelations of His love (and of the Cross), and making room for new depths of Bridal intimacy. This is creating an environment of restoration and intimacy that will bring forth a conception of what God wants to birth in this new season. This time will increase our faith so that we will not be afraid of the things that brought us fear in the past.
Leaving the Old: "Don't Look Back"
In the past few weeks, the Lord keeps leading me to the story in Genesis 19. In this chapter, we read about Lot's wife during the destruction of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.
"With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, 'Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.' When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, 'Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!'" Genesis 19:15-17
"By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the Heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities--and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." Genesis 19:23-26
In August of this year, the Lord had me write an article called: "The Roosters are Crowing: It's A New Day!" I believe that this new day began in mid-September as we crossed over and into the Jewish New Year. I hear the Spirit saying to us the same words that the angel spoke to Lot as he and his wife and daughters fled Sodom, "Don't look back!" But Lot's wife did not heed the instruction and became a pillar of salt, frozen in time, forever looking back.
Lot and his family did not have time to pack; they had to obey and had divine mercy helping them along. We have been given divine mercy to help us along as we leave the old day and enter into the new. We cannot pack up things from where we have been either. God is saying, "Don't look back." He is saying that we must leave the life of yesterday and enter into this new day not looking back.
Wait and Relate
Another thing that God has been asking our team to do is to fast what we've known and even what we've been trained to do during this time of pause. We have been waiting for only His instructions and His initiation before moving even one step forward. Even our waiting isn't our own idea, but it is in obedience to the Lord's instruction. We are learning how to "wait and relate" during this time with Him and with one another. Sometimes in our busy and hurried lifestyles and ministries, we leave other family members in our wake. But in the time of pause, it seems to be giving us time to catch up and to take our place, and receive rest and healing.
There have been numerous times in our waiting that tempted us to do what we know to do, like putting pressure on ourselves to "do something!" However, the Spirit has revealed that He does not want us to be frustrated by what we have seen in the past, but to wait for the new strategy and revelation. This time we will not be frustrated because what we will do will be "by His Spirit" and not by self-driven wind that only frustrates us and others.
In this process of "pause and stillness," God is working deep within us. He is healing us from the disappointments and pain of the past, refreshing and restoring us, and imparting what we need to be fruitful and victorious in the days to come. We are waiting for the Lord. He is extending this invitation to all His people. You too can enter into this pause so that you can be refreshed and prepared for the days ahead.
Once again, let's remind ourselves of the verses in Isaiah 40:28-31 mentioned above!
Waiting for the Wind of the Lord
The Lord is offering His people new strength so that we can fly like the eagles and not become tired and weary. In this time, the Lord is also going to hatch many new eagles who know how to wait for the wind of the Lord rather than create wind that is self-driven. Learning to wait for the Lord is a key part of this pause. In the past season, many have been creating wind rather than waiting for the wind of the Lord, but the Lord is speaking to the self-driven winds: "Quiet. Be still."
Now we are waiting for His wind to ride upon. Self-driven wind only makes our arms tired and our souls weary, but when we catch His wind, we will stretch out our wings and soar, and be carried by Him the entire way.
"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14
All my love,
Kathi Pelton
Light Streams Ministries
Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net
Visitor Comments (0)
