We really had a powerful time of prayer and inspiration last weekend at our Prayer Escape. This spring, we’ve purposed in our church to “get away” or escape to pray with our leaders every two months.
These prayer escapes have become times of prophetic direction along with a building of unity within our leadership. Love them!
At the latter part of our prayer escape, last weekend, I heard the Lord speak to me again the same thing he said to me the week prior. He said, “I will renew you. I will renew your strength, your creativity, your vision and your passion.”
He took me to a commonly known scripture, Isaiah 40:30-31: Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
I know that many of us know that verse by memory. There are songs written about it. And although I’ve even preached sermons from it, the Lord directed me to a different perspective of it.
The verse simply says that those who “wait” on the Lord will renew their strength. We’ve come to know that the word “wait” is a waiting with expectation and with anticipation. It’s another word for “HOPE.” So, I’ve known that if I keep my focus on the “HOPE” of God’s promises that my strength will be renewed as the eagle and my endurance will continue to surmount.
Oh, but it says way more…. The word “wait” is the word qavah in the Hebrew language. It has two definitions, the first one is to wait, look in hope and expectation but the second one painted a different picture for me. It means to tie and bind together – to tie and fasten for strength.
Then it hit me. I heard the Lord speak to me and say, “as long as you remain tied to me and the vision in which I gave to you, you will continue have renewed strength.”
How many times have our hope and expectation decrease in the middle of trouble? How many times have we allowed the stress and struggle of life to cause our strength to wane? We lose focus, therefore losing hope in what God has promised for us. By human nature, we all have a tendency to flee and remove ourselves from the place of friction. We all are “runaways” to an extent. We run away from the very “tying” that give to us a renewed strength. Pain and stress can be very deceitful!
So here’s what I was directed to do…. I had some of the guys purchase some rope. I had them cut it in many 6 foot pieces. We brought a cross and placed it in the middle of the altar area of the place we were meeting. Victoria and I made a covenant with God and those present that we were going to tie ourselves to the Lord and the vision he called us to. We physically tied ourselves to the cross, representing our connection and commitment to the Lord and the vision He called us to. And by doing so, we know that our strength will come from the very place of our tying.
Being tied down, to GOD and place he called us to, is where our strength will come from. Hope and expectation come from a “tying to” not a “fleeing from.” We all get tempted to think that our hope for a better life comes from escaping and fleeing; rather it comes from a tying to. For there is where we get a renewed strength and renewed vision.
As we shared this illustration, the other leaders took up their piece of rope and began to tie themselves to the cross as well! It was a glorious time! Seeing all of us tied to the Lord and the vision He’s given us was the very picture that he was showing me in my spirit.
Have you been weary lately? Have you been fatigued in serving the Lord? Are you willing to TIE yourself to the vision of the place where God has called you?
