Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Skeletons in the Church


Fisher, my five-year-old son, woke up from an incredible dream yesterday morning. He came to get in bed with me pretty early because the dream had disturbed him. In the dream, he was going to the church here in Boston where we're holding the 40-days. When he got there, he was afraid to go in. The church was completely filled with people, but they were only skeletons and bones. As soon as he said that the Spirit spoke to me that this was the great army of Harvard and New England.

You can't hear a dream like that and not turn to Ezekiel 37. In it Ezekiel is taken to a valley filled with dry bones and is asked, "Can these bones live?" He is then instructed to prophesy to the bones, and when he does there's a loud "rattling" sound. The bones come together as muscles and tendon attach, but there's no life in them. Then he prophesies for breath to enter them. When it does, they stand up and form a vast army.

Could this be the place that we now stand? The bones have rattled together, and they await breath to enter them for life? It's interesting in the dream that Fisher was afraid to go in to the church. Here's what I think it means. Fisher represents the "fishers of men." There will be no great harvest unless we are willing to enter in to the place of intercession and fasting. Resistance has been great here in Boston. This is no easy row to how. It has become clear that the Church of New England hates the prophetic word of God. Without revelation the bones simply dry up. But we are now 20 days into this fast. Things are shifting and the fate of the nation hangs in the balance. We have recommitted ourselves as a company of intercessors. We choose to press in and intensify the fast. It is so important to move with God in the moment he declares. Windows of opportunity are finite. Waves come and go, and you have to choose to catch the wave.

1 comment:

Liz said...

Wow. That's an amazing dream. It's an encouragement that God is hearing our prayers.