-Bill Johnson -Senior Pastor of Bethel Church
"For The Sake Of The World."
For a very long time now, my heart has been burning, camped at this very place with passion, and vision for our church. Burning in such a way that my heart has wept in the very place he speaks of, "around the presence," His presence.
This past week I was reading about Jehoshaphat's life. As I read, I was deeply stirred, again.
"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, ...He said: Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. ...You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.
Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground,
and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in -
worship before the Lord.
Then some... praised God with a very loud voice.
Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men-
to sing to the Lord and
to praise Him for the splendor of His Holiness as they went out at the
head of the army...
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes -
against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they-
were defeated.
The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir,
they helped to destroy one another.
The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the
Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat -
was at peace, for his God had given him -
rest on every side.
2 Chronicles 20: 14, 15, 17-23, 29
As I consider the fact that we are in the end days, and the darkness is only getting darker, that means that the light will only as well, get lighter. But the question that has been begging with passion within me for sometime now...is precisely as Bill stated it,
"Where are we going to camp?"
Or, in my words; "What are we going to value most?" What are we going to choose as our, "One Thing?"
Then, I also have pondered deeply,
"What is the Church going to choose as the One Thing we must not neglect, in the days of the end?"
What are we going to see as the most vital tool we have in, standing firm in the full armor of God?"
Will we be in worship in such a way, like Jehoshaphat, that we will send out the 'worshipper's first!"
And for how long did they worship?
What did that worship look like?
What will it look like for, us?
Will there be room for those in the Kingdom that God has appointed- to be heard?
How desperately do we want rest? Do we really know where true rest is found? How and what that looks like for the individual, the church?
(Can you tell I love to ponder!)
Over the past several years, I have been in the midst of so much. Learning to be a mom, learning how to deal with broken, very broken dreams, while not being able to maintain the same level of 'ministry' I once had maintained. About 10 yrs. ago, I entered into a coma as a result of being ambushed with some debilitating news regarding the murder of my mother, 22 yrs. ago, and my sisters sexual abuse. As I was one with which worship was my primary language, during that long wilderness season I had lost 'my voice' to worship. I was so paralyzed within, that primary language was frozen in trauma, so deeply that all I could do is literally sit before Him, uttering only tears as my song. And, I could barely find songs that ushered me into the soaking presence of His Spirit. He used a song from "The Two Towers," where it felt like angelic hosts singing over me the felt sorrow of my heart, giving expression that otherwise would have only remained as a statue of stone within.
Ten years later, this year, changed all that. I cried out to Him. For Him to know me like no one else knew me, so that I would have no need of needing anyone else to be fully known, but Him.
In that process, I found myself feeling I was, unproductive. I would sit in the midst of worship playing late at night, while I either wept, or sat silent. Washing like rain, over me the Spirit would pour down. Slowly thawing my frozen soul.
Then, He ushered into my life, a couple of dear women where the connection of our lives happened by a divine post on facebook, and another through a church I went to for a short season, and an author He ushered into my life, who also was used to recenter my heart upon the Lord's unceasing grace and mercy for me.
Peeling back the layers of pain in my heart, I realized I was completely undone.
Our son, who has a Sensory Processing Disorder, challenged my faith and ability to be a mother. I was undone trying to be a wife where our paths grew distant just trying to maintain life. We were unstable regarding the sale of our home, facing foreclosure any time. And spiritually, seeking where it was God was wanting us to be in a church.
Then, I got to the end of my self, and in anguish I cried out to Him, and I was filled in a way that I had never yet experienced, while sitting in His presence beneath the open heavens of worship washing over me. I realized that the battle for my mind, my heart, my dreams, my very identity...was so heavy, that all I could do is sit with Him. For h.o.u.r.s!!! Literally, when my little guy went to sleep, and my husband left for his 3rd shift job, my home was finally quiet, but my mind was asleep.
I began to sense the warfare around my mind whispering to me, "you are so unproductive." That this sitting here doing, "nothing," in the midst of worship was selfish. I should be folding laundry, doing dishes, tending to the chores of my life. In the midst of the myriad of arrows and arsenal of lies pelting my soul, what the enemy wanted me to believe, was that I was not living up to being the mother and wife, I had set up for myself to be. But, slowly something supernatural happened, and the very thing that the enemy wanted me to believe, was instead the very place of which the enemy was brought down and defeated.
It wasn't until I moved into a place of surrendered longing, sitting still in the midst of soaking and prophetic worship, that the Holy Spirit began to show me many things, like how I had misplaced my heart, somewhere other than My Heavenly Father's hands. And that He wanted it, back. When that happened, I was ushered into a realm of His presence that only He could have unfolded for me. It happened all in the secret, silent, still place of choosing that '"One Thing." Being at His feet, beneath His open heavens in surrendered worship. And like Jehoshaphat;
It is where the Spirit of the Lord, came upon me.
It is where my "position" was, with my face to the ground.
It was in that position, I saw the deliverance of my Lord in my life.
It was where my voice that once sat silenced, was now loud and clear, in utterances and longings to deep for words.
It was through the voice of a prophet, He unfolded for me what otherwise would not have been.
It was where my worship, went ahead of the army of circumstances, surrounding me and our family.
It is where the battle, was His, and not mine.
And it was where the angelic hosts, the power of worship, ushered forth sent an ambush- against the enemy, on our behalf... that the enemy might destroy each other.
Where the enemy, was defeated.
And, for the first time in my life, where we are still midst very pressing needs, awaiting for His provision to be ushered in---
I have peace, rest on every side.
So, as we move further and further to being IN the epicenter of the end days, I have to ask myself...
Where will I be camping?
In His presence. I will choose the "One Thing," as Mary did, at the feet of Jesus. It will be the one single feature of our family, that is most dominant in our life. It will be worship, that reflects off of our armor. For it is one of our greatest weapons against warfare. We will enter into worship first, as the enemy comes against us. For he will, come.
How long will we worship?
Much longer than most do! Longer than it takes to eat a meal... for a meal with Him, doesn't end until I have encountered Him... His manifest, shared, graciously longing to sup with me, presence. For why, when He comes, would I leave after just a "few minutes," in order to tend to 'other matters' needing tended to. For what possibly could be so pressing, that I can't stay long enough to be satisfied, full?
And so, it would be less than polite of me, not to ask you the same.
Where do you want to camp?
And to further that asking---
Where will the church camp?
My unceasing prayer, is that they will not fear- His presence. They will not miss, His Kingdom coming. They will not worry about, "other matters," needing tending to, that will fall into their proper place after the, "One Thing," is chosen. And, that they will get a glimpse of how powerfully the Word will and must come forth, and the fruit of what that will bring, only once we have learned how to, camp around His presence.
