My Revelation Summer

God speaks to all of us in different ways. One of the ways He speaks to me is by giving me themes for certain seasons in my life. My first year at the Gateways Beyond Training School, the theme He gave me was Spring - the winter was over and it was time to step into the new life that was waiting for me in the Spirit. It was an amazing time of healing, unveiling and discovering the Holy Spirit. This past year at Gateways, it was all about being a Living Sacrifice - learning to live to die. Dying to my flesh, for Him. In Ethiopia, the theme was Mercy - that through the mercy given to me, God would have mercy on others. Well, when I got to Israel in June, I began to ask Abba what the theme was for this season. I had big expectations for my first summer actually living in Jerusalem, and being part of the House of Prayer no less. Yes, I had high hopes. Something that I love about the themes for my life that God gives me, is that they connect everything He teaches me over several months time into one fluid transformation. I love looking back on those times and seeing how He wove all my experiences together for the purpose of teaching me that virtue. I believe Jesus intimately knows me and knows that my analytical mind loves being able to view life in this organized manner:)

Well, this summer, my theme did not manifest itself right away. I waited and prayed and asked God what He had for me this summer. But I was given no answer... and then I began to worry a bit. This is where I lost sight of the path. Jesus is always faithful, I must simply take the next step towards Him and He will reveal Himself. But in my efforts to find out what God wanted to teach me in this season... I stopped looking at God. Ironic, isn't it? I felt that I didn't want to come across the world and live in the City of Zion for three months only to miss what God had for me. I played around with different ideas of what it could be, but none seemed to fit. I can't force God - but sometimes, to my shame, I try.

But here's the beautiful part. One night, I went to the prayer room and just laid it all out on the altar before the Lord. I realized the folly of my forcefulness and spent some time in teary eyed repentance. I realized that even if I spent the whole summer in Jerusalem and I didn't hear God's voice once or feel anything, I would still choose to serve and worship Him. After all, even in His silence, He is worthy! I needed to come to that place - to say that even if I don't feel it, I'll still come to my watches in the prayer room everyday and pour out all my worship on You, Jesus. He must hold a higher place than my feelings.

Well, in His typical divine fashion, Jesus showed up loud and clear just one week later and gave me the summer of 2009's theme. This is my Revelation Summer.

It was the night of July 22nd. I was spending the evening with friends Sam and Rachel. Sam was in Israel touring and Rachel is living with and serving the Benjamin family. The Benjamins are leading Succat Hallel's internship program and have become what I affectionately call my "Israel Parents" :) The three of us had just eaten and were sitting in the living room just hanging out. We were talking about something related to Jesus (a favorite topic of mine) and the end times were brought up. I mentioned that I wished I had a better handle on the timeline of the last days. I've heard so many different teachings and feel a little hazy in my eschatology. Well my friend Sam, being the fellow Jesus lover and all around great guy that he is, pulled out his Bible. What happened over the next several hours was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life thus far. The three of us read through the entire book of Revelation of the course of the night. Sam walked us through the book and stopped along the way for the questions I had (which for those of you who know me, were many!). We worshipped and wept our way through the night. We'd move from deep theology to giddy excitement concerning the coming of Jesus. There were times that we couldn't stay seated because the adrenaline it created in us and other times that we couldn't even speak because the presence of God was so thick in the room. When we got to the end of the book and I saw the great love of the Father in His desire to come down and once again dwell with His children, I was overcome. To think of His beautiful unrelenting love; that He created us to dwell with Him in the garden of Eden, but we separated ourselves from Him with our sin. But He did not stop there. No, His love was too strong. He sent His Son once to open up the way for us to go to Him. And He will send His Son again to prepare the way for Him to come to us. What beautiful pursual. What unrelenting love.

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Revelation 21:3

I couldn't keep the tears from streaming down my face in light of His love. My body trembled in His presence and I could do nothing but cry and sit in awe of Him for some time. Sam sat with the contented serene look that comes with the presence of the Holy Spirit and the room was silent, apart from the sniffles I could hear coming from Rachel's direction. She'd had an experience with God that night that mirrored the beauty of my own. That night was about Revelation... Revelation of Jesus. He was is and always will be the central focus. We finished just as the sky was beginning to lighten, and decided to go up to the balcony to watch the sun rise over the city.



At some point while we were up there, it hit us. We are watchmen. And we're standing on a wall. And we've given ourselves no rest. And we're here in Jerusalem asking God to establish her as a praise in the earth! (Isaiah 62) Now that may seem all very simple and possibly even boring to you, but we were geeking out! Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize that you're living out scripture? It's pretty cool. We just kept saying, "We're on a wall... in Jerusalem... as Watchmen!" Some might argue that our extreme sleep deprivation may have had something to do with this, but I like to believe that it was the Holy Spirit. As the sun rose over the Mount of Olives, we spoke scripture over the city, sang worship songs and asked Jesus to come quickly. I thought of the passage in Malachi that says the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its wings. Yes, arise Lord Yeshua!



We finally went to bed around 7 am; our schedules were a little crazy that day. We woke up early afternoon and had a breakfast/lunch/dinner meal at 4 pm. We discussed the night and felt that it had all been a bit surreal. Like, did that really happen? But, indeed it had, in all its wonderful glory!

That night was a definitive moment in my summer... in my life. A couple days later I hear the voice of the Lord tell me that this summer was about revelation - both the book and the experience of Jesus Christ being revealed more an more to my heart. It's been a wonderful time. I've been consuming the Word, listening to great teachings and dialoguing with friends about the mysteries of this exciting book. I even put the audio Bible book of Revelation on my ipod so that I can listen to it as I walk in the city. Holy Spirit has been teaching me so much and I'm loving every minute of it. And ya know what? I'm not afraid of missing it anymore? I have not missed what God has for me this summer - no, I'm enjoying every part of it.

What does God have for you in this season? What beautiful truth does He want to unveil to your heart? I don't recommend chasing after it in anxiety as I did at first, but I do encourage you to wait on the Lord and listen when you hear His voice... even if it takes all night.