A prophetic picture: #
On Sunday as we were worshipping God, in the church building, a picture came to my spirit. I saw a rounded wall appear before people, it was too high to climb over and too wide to break down.
There was one major gap in the wall, it was in the direction the people had come from; it was behind them. I believe the wall represented all the difficult circumstances that people, in general, are facing today. We all want to move forward but there is a wall – political, physical, economic—that’s being built across our path, threatening to stop our normal way of thinking and what we want to do.
It’s causing unrest, anxiety, and a feeling of panic in some. The world is so messed up that many have lost their vision and hope. Sad to say but many will turn back, it seems the only way of escape.
Do we see a similar picture in the Bible? We are reminded of Israel as a nation facing the same thing in moving out of the bondage of Egypt—the Red Sea was in front of them like a wall, the mountains on both sides seemed to hedge them in and the Egyptian army coming behind them to bring them back into captivity. Hopelessness was all around them. But God had a plan—”Moses stretch out your rod over the Red Sea” and as he did the sea parted and Israel walked through on dry ground.
Could it be that what the enemy means for evil today that God will use for good? We know the answer to that question—yes! But what if God has His hand in the things that are happening today; not necessarily what He does but what He allows.
Exodus 13:18 reads, “But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea …” God knows all things and His plans are from everlasting to everlasting—He had a solution for His people at the Red Sea.
The answer was—“God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night.”
What I saw on Sunday was the same thing; God was saying ‘Do you want help? Then allow Me to stand before you and let Me be in charge.’ We are so used to doing our own thing and asking God to bless what we are doing that we forget that we are to be followers of God. Instead, we follow our visions and our desires when we need to put God and His will always before us.
When I saw the people inviting God to stand between them and the wall, God took the sword of the Spirit and divided the wall, making a way for those who trust in Him. I saw that many wanted to rush through the divided wall into the freedom on the other side, but God would not allow them to go ahead of Him.
Sometimes we want freedom so badly that we resort to our old ways—freedom becomes more important to us than walking behind our Saviour and Lord. Could this be where we are at today as believers in Christ? What is more important to us?
Answer that question for yourself and choose wisely.
God said that the circumstances that Israel faced at the Red Sea was like a baptism—“I don’t want you to forget dear brothers and sisters about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.” 1 Corinthians 10:1,2. NLT. [Today we are followers of Jesus not Moses.] Could it be that what we are facing today is the baptism of fire that John the Baptist talked about when he said, “the One who comes after me will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11
This brings me to the next thing I saw in the spirit. Jesus/God led the people into the split wall and stopped partway through. Immediately my spirit saw the picture of the Israelites crossing the river of Jordon. A man from each tribe was instructed to bring a rock and in the middle of the Jordan, they constructed a pillar or altar. An altar was always a place of consecration and worship. The Lord was saying ‘Are you willing to consecrate yourself afresh to Me when you are only partway through to deliverance; are you willing to worship Me when you are still in your ‘walled-in circumstances’?
We know genuine, spirit-filled praise and worship is powerful, it can break through any wall of the enemy and bring deliverance to us in our spirit and soul. The anointing of the Holy Spirit breaks every yoke of the enemy. But we need to get past the place where we do something hoping that God will reward us.
Our ‘works’ mentality must die while we are on the earth; in heaven, we may get rewards but don’t let that motivate you today—we do what Jesus wants us to do without looking for rewards. Praise and worship must be freely given—He deserves it all! And when you pray don’t remind God of all the things you suffered in following Him and all your good works. Pray from the point of grace, not works. He has already done far more for you than you will ever do for Him.
If you feel that the world is closing in on you and anxiety is starting to rise in your soul, step back and invite Jesus to stand between you and your wall. Let Him lead you. When He chooses to split the wall before you—it is His decision. We want it to happen today or this very hour, but He is God, not you or me.
It was the cloud (God’s presence) that was leading Israel not their circumstances; God made that obvious. Sometimes He allows us to feel trapped by our circumstances because He wants to deliver us; He knows our hearts, we will only be at rest when He is allowed to stand before us.
And lastly, learn to praise and worship Him in your circumstances. He is our help in times of trouble.
Hearing and understanding the voice of the Lord,
Les Dueck
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