Tuesday, 6 March 2018

A Powerful Prayer From an Aging Generation to You

passing the baton for God' kingdom

I sat on the edge of the stage stairs overwhelmed by what I was witnessing. The presence of God in the room was so intense you could almost physically feel His hands at work. We were experiencing a revival within the community as women repented, and rededicated their lives to God declaring they were "all in" for Him. Deep emotional wounds were being healed, burdens were being laid down. 

I was one of the women who was praying for the ladies at the front of the sanctuary as they needed it. I could feel the weariness of the last few days creeping in. I allowed my legs (and eyes) a much needed break as I sat down. 

I was one of the speakers at the conference, and at the last minute God redirected my sermon to something entirely different as He needed to show up in a mighty way. And He most certainly didn’t disappoint! 

As I sat there breathing, praying, absorbing, I felt hands on my knees. I opened my eyes expecting someone requesting prayer, but instead I saw an elderly woman shuffling closer to me on her knees. Had she fallen and needed help? I was startled and not sure what to do. She climbed up close to my face and pulled me in tight, her soft grandmotherly skin pressed against my cheek. Then she began to speak...

Her sweet voice was as soft as her skin, but brewing from deep within was the strength of God’s authority as she prayed over me. She thanked God for a new generation that was rising up who would be fearless for God.

What happened next utterly ripped my world in pieces and simultaneously built it back with tenfold strength.

She gave a grand commission for my generation to take the next generation and raise them as hers had once done for us. Hers was a generation whose bodies are growing weary. She was passing the responsibilities of living boldly, and walking righteously in our faith onto a younger generation whose feet are still able to run with every step, and whose arms can still wage war on the battlefield. 

In an instant there was a passing of a baton from one tired relay runner to a fresh one ready for a sprint. Her stretch of the race was coming to a close and she prayed for us as we grab the baton to run the next stretch before we too pass the baton sometime down the road.

This is the time my friends. The sermon God replaced my meager portion with was one of an “all in” type of a cry to his people. 

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 
(Joshua 24:14-15 emphasis mine)

Choose this day, whom you will serve. The gods of the world, of the one and only Yahweh.

The commission I received was not just for me, it was for all of you. There is a world outside our doors hungry for a message of hope. A generation younger than yours who is desperate to see what faith in action in looks like. Our children are watching intently to see how we will respond and carry ourselves if we say we have Christ in our lives. There is little room for error, and the stakes are high. Eternity is a long time to pay for the mistakes of not getting it right.

Whether you have children or not, it is up to us as the Church to walk beside a younger generation and strengthen them as they find their footing within God’s kingdom. It is a most high calling, and not one to be taken lightly.

Will you carry the next generation on your shoulders until they are firmly planted on the Rock? Will you join me as we draw our swords and shields to defend their young spirits from the darts of the enemy? Will you speak with boldness rooted in the word of God even when it does not win the approval of those around you, seeking only for the approval of God himself?

Are YOU all in?

Love,
Sarah

photo credit: Juan Pablo @ Pexels.com

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