Happy New Year!!! Our Annual Prophetic Post for 2020

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HAPPY NEW YEAR, Sweet Readers!

As has become our custom around here, today not only brings blank calendars to fill in and new Day Planners to let start bossing us around, but it is also time for our Annual Prophetic Post for the New Year!

I hope 2019 was kinder to you than it appeared to be to us, but either way --Here's to a shiny, bright, happy new year -- full of promise and possibilities!

New Years Day unfolded slowly, with gusts of wind and rain pounding the windows --of both my heart and my home! 

As much as I love to reflect over the last year before leaning into what God has to say about what's next... well --2019 was full of heartbreak and hard. Still, in looking back, I always see how even in the dark times, He was close and present. (Do you remember the discovery of last year, of where His Glory hides? Yeah... it's in the Darkness.)  

As a storm brewed around us, I settled my heart and curled up with a cup of coffee, a journal and pen, and an expectant hope... to tune and hear from God... --not only for me but for all of us who are willing to lean in a bit closer to God in 2020!

I always ask the Lord for a word or phrase that will speak prophetically over the coming year.  I also ask Him to lead me to a book in the Bible that He wants to be highlighted throughout the year.  

I'm consistently amazed at how much He wants to communicate with us!


First - a quick look back:

For 2019, the Book in the Bible was Colossians! For the first time ever in this little corner of the interwebs, we had a year-long Bible Study series, going through the book of Colossians just a verse or two at a time!  To be honest, when God asked this of me --I wasn't so sure I would be able to stick with it consistently! I knew much of our life was up in the air and I wasn't so sure I'd find time to sit in this chair as much as I'd like! (That part turned out to be true, and yet God is faithful and when He asks us to step out and do something new, He also equips us and enables us to do what He's asked!) That series will be turned into a book available soon on Amazon! 

It was a powerful study, and for me anyway, it kept pointing me back to Truth in a season where Confusion and Doubt threatened to reign supreme if I would let them!

The Phrase that the Lord gave me for 2019 was
"Saturated in His Goodness"

"...yet in the end you always bring us out better than we were before, saturated with your goodness." Psalm 66:12 TPT

Here's the deal... 

I didn't realize that I was, once again, truly hoping this meant all the great parts with none of the not so great parts! (But, that's not really real life, is it?) Even still... in my faith-girl, glass-half-full heart, this truth is hard to swallow! I've lived it out the past few years especially... and yet - my hope is continually reaching for the positive and the higher ground of the Kingdom!

However, much like the revelation of how the hiding place of His glory turned out to be found in trials and tribulations, being saturated with His goodness also tends to be most evident in the midst of darker times and difficulties.

This is what I learned: 
Being Saturated with His Goodness... 
--It has a little to do with us, but it has more to do with Him...
and with our ability to let His Goodness be seen in and through us!

We get to let Him be seen when things are great, sure --but also when they are the opposite of that!  I wrote last year after first hearing this phrase, "When you saturate something (in photography, for instance) you kick it up a notch... intensify and enhance... you don't ADD anything, but just bring out and accentuate what is already there!" 

I believe this is what He did, again and again, last year! As the hits just kept on coming (because -again, this is real life, right?) --what was already IN us was, as He had promised, kicked up a notch and in the midst of grief and loss and sickness and even death, Hope and Faith and Love still remained and man, how They stood their ground!

Now... let's move on to this year!

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Let's give a Warm Welcome to a Brand New Year! 

This is what I heard for 2020:

I prayed this morning to ask the Lord for a new Book in the Bible that He felt would offer us Truth that we need to cling to this year and this is what I heard: 

--The Book in the Bible:  

The Book of  Ezra

I encourage you to read through Ezra at least a couple of times this year! I'm not sure if I will attempt another year-long study. I'm still praying about that! But either way, I think we will all benefit if we read through it I 2020, and maybe even read it in a few different translations! 

Here are just a couple of verses that already stand out to me from this Old Testament book:

  "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—this fulfilled the Message of God preached by Jeremiah—God prodded Cyrus king of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom." Ezra 1:1 The Message

As 2020 is, once again, another political year --this first verse in the first chapter of the book of Ezra is so encouraging... it reminds us that God can move on the heart of kings and rulers (--even those who do not know Him.)

...also

"He was a second Moses, and tenaciously studied, practiced, and taught the Eternal’s law to Israel.." Ezra 7:10 The Voice

(--That is just to get you started! Read through this book on your own and let me know what stands out to you!) 

Next up comes the Prophetic Phrase or saying!

Once again, I move from a book in the Bible that God still uses to speak to us through, and then ask for a fresh word or phrase... one that we may find re-visiting us again and again throughout the year! I ask the Lord to give me a few words that reflect His heart and reveals what He has planned for the Body in the coming year!

--The Phrase:

"From Chaos to Clarity"

Now, listen... you know how I am and I can be pretty stubborn and the one thing I didn't want was to have Him give me a phrase that tied in with all the coming cliches connected to 2020 and 20/20.  So when I first heard this in my spirit, I said "No thanks!" I really pushed against this because I thought it would just get lost in the shuffle of everyone else talking about vision and how we can see better this year. I know... it's super ironic because that is exactly what I was praying for in the flesh (and in the spirit) for last year! 

Still... I asked Him for a different phrase, hoping to hear something less cheesy. It turns out, He's not opposed to Cheesy!  His answer when I asked for something else? Well... it was not really different... in fact, this is exactly what I 'saw' written out as I prayed:

"From Chaos to Clarity, 

From Mystery to Made Known, 

From Secret to Shouted Out!"

Well then... I guess He means it! 

Here's another thing:

20/20 Vision is not perfect vision!  It's supposed to be just the average... so praying for 20/20 vision is good, but praying for clarity is even better! (See? He's so smart!)


Clarity Definition:

: clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity. 

: the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye...

Synonyms of Clarity:

intelligibility, exactness, simplicity.

I believe the Call for the Bride this year is to be ever more clear and transparent! To not only talk it but to walk it in greater clarity... to live, as we often say around here, out loud! To be clear in our understanding and perception of who God is and who we are --who He created us to be. 

I believe the call to go from chaos to clarity is a Call to come up higher and know Him more but it's also a Call to live louder --dripping with mercy and grace and love!

Listen,  I'm still a strong believer in erring on the side of Grace... however we must also be willing to lovingly say Truth -not in a cruel or boastful way, but in a position of honoring and with great care. For this is how our Father speaks to us... this is how He calls us home and wraps us in his cloak and puts His ring on our finger... and we are called to represent Him well... we are called to do the same!

So as this Call is to go from Chaos to Clarity, from Mystery to Made-Known, from Secret to Shouted Out --let's purpose to first look inward and take care of our own hearts... for this is the only way to truly walk in mercy and love.  

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This prophecy about what's hidden being revealed --it's been given before.  I feel a weightiness in it yet again --whatever is hidden shall be brought out into the Light! We've seen this start already, yes? From #metoo and all the unveiling of corruption -in families, in business, in churches, and in governments... 

Whatever is Lurking around in the Darkness
will be Brought out into the Light of Day!  
Whatever is Lost and Spinning in Chaos
will be brought into Clarity and Calm.  
For there is Rescue and Redemption
on the Table for everyone!

Let's not lose sight of this fact,
for this is the heart of God!

Something about how Mercy triumphs over Judgment!

We've seen it slowly -how the Bible is true
and it clearly says judgment begins in the House of God!
Now is the time, friends, to deal with anything
within us that is dark and chaotic and cloaked in secrecy...

If we don't deal with it, He will!

He is Love and Grace and a Good, Good Father, yes! 
But we all know a Good Father also leads us away
from sin, poor choices, bondage, and brokenness
--into His Glorious Light and 
into the Wide-Open Arms of Love!

Chaos to Clarity, I believe,
is both a gentle warning
AND a faithful promise!

What about you, sweet reader?

If you have not taken a moment or two
to ask God if He has a word for you for 2020,
I encourage you to do so!
It can be just one single word or a phrase
He wants to sow into you this year!
I will write about my OneWord for 2020 next week!
I am still being a little stubborn,
wanting a bit more confirmation!
My OneWord both excites and scares me!
(And isn't that just how it goes?)

So as I continue in prayer for myself
that He will show me
whatever it is He wants to work
in me and through me this year,
I am praying He will show you 
what He has in store for you, as well!

Happy New Year, friends!

In 2020, let us continue to: