***
We say it... and we hope we mean it...
We hope it will help lessen the pain
or bring meaning to it, anyway!
We believe it is true...
even when we wish it wasn't!
Two Things I have discovered (again) in the last year or two:
Desert Land Refreshings and
Being Broken for a Purpose!
One thing I know for sure...
God wastes NOTHING!
It's just not in Him to sweep aside something
or to let a lesson learned stay with only me.
He is not flippant or mean.
He is the opposite of that,
I promise you!
So if you, too, find yourself in a season of brokenness...
if you find yourself bent down low, and wishing the pain away,
can I just simply share a couple of flashes of visions
I saw the other day while in prayer?
I know they encouraged me...
My hope is that they will do the same for you!
I am blessed to belong to a powerful prayer group...
a gathering of mighty women of God who
know who they are and how to war!
Mostly - when we get together, we worship...
we sit and listen for His still small voice...
we take communion and we share
what He is showing us
and we pray...
Man, how we pray!
So a few weeks ago, we gathered and stilled ourselves...
After a long hard season, I was feeling more like myself
and was feeling hope spring up once again!
I am a Seer... and a Hearer...
but through this last season,
God had gotten a little quiet -
so I was taken aback just a little
when these two visions scrolled
across my heart and mind as I sat there,
asking for insight and wisdom.
This is what I wrote in my journal
as I was seeing these flashes of visions
play out as I prayed:
Vision One:
A Desert Land Refreshing...
I close my eyes and feel the scorching sun and taste salt on my dry and cracked lips... I open my eyes in the Spirit and see desert land all around me. In the distance, I see a mirage.
As I move towards it, I can see what looks like a water park toy --some sort of tall structure with a bucket that spills over once it is full of water and my heart beats faster as Hope for Refreshing and Respite is stirred up.
I pace myself though because I think surely this is too good to be true. Surely it's a mirage!
But God sends a Wind that blows me closer and He assures me this is real and He has set it up as a blessing and a gift.
I stand under the bucket and even before the cool water pours out over me I see a shadow and feel a refreshing.
Soaked, over and over and over the bucket tips, and I hear the Lord say, "Psalm 66... Saturated with My Goodness!"
He then whispered, "Expect this to happen, again and again, throughout the year!"
I believe this is a Word for all of us... so keep your eyes open and expect refreshing to come, my friends!
***
Vision Two:
Being Broken For a Purpose...
Next, the view goes from desertlands to different broken hearts and then I see an old familiar picture of a Heart... It's a Mosaic Heart that I painted a few years ago... It's all busted up, but put back together!
I hear Him say,
"Many things have been Broken --but they were Broken for a Purpose! I am shining through every crack and crevice --letting My Glory be the Gold that holds all the Broken Pieces together... adding value and strength, beauty and longevity! Eternity is Now! Don't Forget!"
The Spirit of God holds things together,
letting His Glory be seen...
Often we prefer to use Super Glue
and glue pieces back together
fitting in tight, so the cracks are invisible.
This is a mask... and a facade...
it adds no value, and actually,
it weakens the vessel.
When we allow God
to put us back together,
He doesn't HIDE our Brokeness,
but rather He HIGHLIGHTS it
with His Glory!
***
This prayer time happened days before I got an advanced copy of a new book written and bled out by my friend, Alia Joy! It's called Glorious Weakness and oh my... reading her words after seeing these pictures was both a gift and a confirmation!
I highly recommend her book --but not just because she's a friend! I recommend it because I think we all need it!
Also, if you pre-order, you get the Audio version and there is something about the beauty and power of her words, in her own voice, that I think will be like Glory binding up the broken pieces.
You can find out more info and pre-order HERE! (I'm still reading the book... but Y'all know I'll post a full review for it as soon as I turn that last page and wipe my eyes! There just may be a Giveaway too, so stay tuned!)
Photos courtesy of Unsplash
I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:
Anita Ojeda for #INSPIREMEMONDAY
Mary Geisen for #TELLHISSTORY
We hope it will help lessen the pain
or bring meaning to it, anyway!
We believe it is true...
even when we wish it wasn't!
Two Things I have discovered (again) in the last year or two:
Desert Land Refreshings and
Being Broken for a Purpose!
One thing I know for sure...
God wastes NOTHING!
It's just not in Him to sweep aside something
or to let a lesson learned stay with only me.
He is not flippant or mean.
He is the opposite of that,
I promise you!
So if you, too, find yourself in a season of brokenness...
if you find yourself bent down low, and wishing the pain away,
can I just simply share a couple of flashes of visions
I saw the other day while in prayer?
I know they encouraged me...
My hope is that they will do the same for you!
a gathering of mighty women of God who
know who they are and how to war!
Mostly - when we get together, we worship...
we sit and listen for His still small voice...
we take communion and we share
what He is showing us
and we pray...
Man, how we pray!
So a few weeks ago, we gathered and stilled ourselves...
After a long hard season, I was feeling more like myself
and was feeling hope spring up once again!
I am a Seer... and a Hearer...
but through this last season,
God had gotten a little quiet -
so I was taken aback just a little
when these two visions scrolled
across my heart and mind as I sat there,
asking for insight and wisdom.
This is what I wrote in my journal
as I was seeing these flashes of visions
play out as I prayed:
Vision One:
I close my eyes and feel the scorching sun and taste salt on my dry and cracked lips... I open my eyes in the Spirit and see desert land all around me. In the distance, I see a mirage.
As I move towards it, I can see what looks like a water park toy --some sort of tall structure with a bucket that spills over once it is full of water and my heart beats faster as Hope for Refreshing and Respite is stirred up.
I pace myself though because I think surely this is too good to be true. Surely it's a mirage!
But God sends a Wind that blows me closer and He assures me this is real and He has set it up as a blessing and a gift.
I stand under the bucket and even before the cool water pours out over me I see a shadow and feel a refreshing.
Soaked, over and over and over the bucket tips, and I hear the Lord say, "Psalm 66... Saturated with My Goodness!"
He then whispered, "Expect this to happen, again and again, throughout the year!"
I believe this is a Word for all of us... so keep your eyes open and expect refreshing to come, my friends!
Vision Two:
Being Broken For a Purpose...
Next, the view goes from desertlands to different broken hearts and then I see an old familiar picture of a Heart... It's a Mosaic Heart that I painted a few years ago... It's all busted up, but put back together!
I hear Him say,
"Many things have been Broken --but they were Broken for a Purpose! I am shining through every crack and crevice --letting My Glory be the Gold that holds all the Broken Pieces together... adding value and strength, beauty and longevity! Eternity is Now! Don't Forget!"
The Spirit of God holds things together,
letting His Glory be seen...
Often we prefer to use Super Glue
and glue pieces back together
fitting in tight, so the cracks are invisible.
This is a mask... and a facade...
it adds no value, and actually,
it weakens the vessel.
to put us back together,
He doesn't HIDE our Brokeness,
but rather He HIGHLIGHTS it
with His Glory!
***
You can find out more info and pre-order HERE! (I'm still reading the book... but Y'all know I'll post a full review for it as soon as I turn that last page and wipe my eyes! There just may be a Giveaway too, so stay tuned!)
Photos courtesy of Unsplash
I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:
Anita Ojeda for #INSPIREMEMONDAY
Mary Geisen for #TELLHISSTORY
Thanks for sharing this encouragement! I love that God can work in our brokenness and use it for a purpose, and that he wants us to find times of refreshment in him.
ReplyDeleteHe's so good at doing that, isn't He? Taking what we think is broken and useless and He uses it for His Glory! Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteThanks for your encouragement for wilderness living--and I am also looking forward to reading Alia's story!
ReplyDeleteI just finished Alia's book this morning... stay tuned for the review and a possible giveaway, too! It's SO GOOD!
DeleteThose visions friends! And that painting makes me think of the Japanese art form of kintsugi. God makes beautiful things out of dust, out of us. Love you friend!
ReplyDeleteRight? He's so good! Love you, too!
DeleteBeing broken for a purpose can seem like a burden while we are in the midst of the brokenness, but the cracks in our facade only serve to let God's light shine through. Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteSo much Amen (and Ouch, right?) Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteThank you for sharing your visions. I receive these words and look froward to how God is going to redeem the brokenness for His glory.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat that Alia has a book. I knew years ago that this day would happen for her. And just the little that I have seen shared reveals so much vulnerability which is how she writes so we can hear. I'm looking forward to reading her book.
You and me, both! (--in looking forward to how God is going to redeem the brokenness... and in knowing Alia's words would find themselves in a book one day!) Come back on Monday to enter to win a copy of #GloriousWeakness for yourself!
DeleteSuch an encouraging post–thank you! And the book sounds awesome! Stopping by from #raralinkup
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by, Laura! (Come on over next week for a chance to win #GloriousWeakness right here on the blog!)
DeleteSuch an encouraging post, Karrilee! You are right. God doesn't waste anything. I really want to read Alia Joy's book. Her writing it lyrical and beautiful and raw and vulnerable and true. Blessings to you! I'm your neighbor at #InspireMeMonday.
ReplyDeleteI hope you come back and enter to win a copy of Alia's new book! (I posted a Book Review for her book today --as well as a separate one for Emily P. Freemans' newest release, too!)
Delete