Preparing, Positioning, Persisting

Preparing and positioning ourselves ready to receive from God has been on my heart recently.

At the end of last year and at the beginning of this year the Lord asked our fellowship if we were ready – see the post on this link Are you ready?

The Lord has been stirring this word up in me again so I am re-posting it. I sense this is the time to press in and persist in prayer just like the parable of the persistent widow.

I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, Hitch up your garments and take up your position ready.

I believe preparation and positioning are keys for this season and the difficult times ahead.

Each of us can prepare and position ourselves ready to receive and give as the Lord shows us by His Holy Spirit.

I pray God will show us what we need to do to prepare.

I am reminded of people of faith in the bible who prepared; Joseph prepared provisions for a severe famine; Esther prepared a whole year for a night with the King; the Jews prepared themselves against Haman’s plot to destroy them; the widow in the time of Elisha prepared jars ready to receive the miraculous provision of oil which only stopped when all the jars were used; At the wedding feast the jars were filled with water ready for Jesus’ miracle.   

In times of difficulty God will use His people to be His voice and to help those who are in need.

In Isaiah 54 v 2 the word is “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes“.    

This was a word on preparation.   The barren woman in this verse did not need room in her tent as she had no children but God was promising that the desolate would have children and to get ready to receive them.    

You may feel barren at the moment and your ministry may look barren but believe in faith that God is going to bring in a harvest and birth something new. 

There are green shoots breaking through.  Let us make room to receive the harvest and put in place the necessary support systems so that the stakes are well and truly strengthened.     

Some of us may need to re-position ourselves in this season.   

Are we in the right place to receive or prepare for what God wants to do through us?  

It may take boldness and a step of faith on our part to move out of a place of comfort – out of the comfort zone and into the new place or ministry that God has for us.    Where does God want to position us for His glory to be revealed.

The word to me to “Hitch up my garments” reminded me of Elijah.     

In the time of drought Elijah first heard the rain in the Spirit.   Before the rain even came he said to the King to go up and eat and drink “for there is the sound of an abundance of rain”.    

Elijah sent his servant to keep looking for the cloud and eventually on the 7th time of looking there was a small cloud.     Elijah saw the sign and knew that the rain he had heard in the Spirit was on its way.    

He prepared himself by hitching up his garments so that he could run ahead of the rain. Elijah managed to outrun the chariot of the King over a great distance of about 25 miles.   

Elijah did something which was not possible in the natural.  He outran a chariot and over such a distance – God enabled it miraculously.

As the people of God, I believe we too will do great and mighty things in these times ahead in and through God’s power working in us.

May God be gracious to us and use us for His glory.  

Lord show us how to prepare and how to position ourselves so that we are ready for you. 

Ready to go, Ready to run.

Amen blessings in Jesus’ precious and mighty name.