Since the start of 2020 we have had a number of people bring us prophetic messages from Isaiah 43:15-21
I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator, your King.”
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.
I think there are three sections to this passage:
15-17 God reminding us of his greatness and power, how he snuffed out the army of the greatest empire of that time as easily as blowing out a candle.
18-19 Despite the greatness of what God has done in the past, he is calling us to look forward and to see what he is doing now, to perceive the great things already beginning and still to come.
20-21 He is drawing the outliers, the marginalised, the rejected, the weak and the broken to come be refreshed and restored from his living water.
This is our increasing experience in Kingston and our increasing expectation for more.
I have also been sent a number of dreams from people where God is talking about keeping our hearts pure, refusing to judge others, forgiving quickly and allowing God to vindicate us. This is vital if we are to be the conduit of pure living water that people want to come drink from.
A few weeks ago I listened to a sermon by Jon Tyson from Church of the City, New York from his Controversial Jesus series (The ones I’ve listened to are brilliant)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb8ATdzytKc&list=PL8vSjHOSaE12d8ZPujJfxFzcyNlYBActf
He makes the point that Jesus, preaching on the mountain (Matthew 5-7) calls his followers to the highest standards probably preached anywhere, ever. Then he came down from the mountain and hung out with the people who didn’t live like he’d just preached and they were drawn to him, such was his non-judgemental love. I believe we are called to imitate Jesus, uncompromising on truth yet lovingly nonjudgemental, to the world around us.
What to pray for Kingston:
- That we would increasingly know Jesus and become like him.
- That we would see what God is doing among us and partner with him in that.
- That we would continue to see more and more people encounter His love through us and be drawn into reconciliation and relationship with him.
- That we would provide space of love, warmth and welcome to all to encounter him.
