A Call to Prayer: On Fire For God
I have heard in my spirit for some time now, “Earth may be preparing for war, but heaven is preparing for a wedding.” Indeed as the Lord speaks in Haggai 2:6-9, He “will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and…shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations and …the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former…”. These words are similar to Isaiah 60:1-2, “Arise, shine for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people, but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” In other words, there will be shaking, trouble, wars, and rumors of wars that coincide with the rise of greater glory. The question will be, what are we focused on? King David, the “man after God’s own heart” whose side job was to be the King of Israel, said in Psalm 27:3-5, “Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war may rise against me, in this, I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” David was able to get lost in the beauty of God amid armies gathered against Him.
Our daughter Zoe married at the height of the pandemic, May 20, 2020. At first, we encouraged her to delay the wedding. After all, the number of guests would be down to twenty due to restrictions. Yet Zoe and Lucas were determined to stay with their original date and location. As I was at the beautiful wedding, the Lord whispered to my heart, “Even in the midst of crisis and turmoil, the wedding will go on.” Zoe’s focus was not on an invisible virus wreaking havoc on the world. Her focus was on her beloved Lucas and her wedding.
When a fire is to burn perpetually, it takes fuel and tending. Logs are placed on the fire, and a good draft of oxygenated air is needed. If the flame dwindles to embers, it must be stoked, fanned, and given more flammable substances. In keeping the fire of our passion for the Lord burning, it takes tending. Do not be surprised when you experience spiritual warfare over your intimacy with the Lord. Why? Because dark entities know a person with a burning passion shines the brightest, extinguishing darkness. Heidi Baker always said, “Lovers always make better workers.”
In cultivating the passion of my own heart, I’ve noticed there needs to be subtractions and additions. The removals are to declutter my heart, such as unforgiveness, offense, bitterness, judgments, or living with an orphan spirit - issues that have sprung up from wounds in efforts to derail us from our God-given destiny. They need to be dealt with by the power of the Lord and removed. Then there are the additions - time in prayer, the Word, hearing His voice, abiding in His Presence, and placing our hearts next to the fire of His love which causes our hearts to become tender.
Known as ‘The Shema,’ Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says in part, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God the Lord is One! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength….” When it’s number one in the heart of God for us, may it be the main thing in our pursuit. Daily abiding in the Lord causes our hearts to become tenderized. Worldly pursuits fall away into the lake of oblivion. The First becomes the first.
Patricia Bootsma
