Whispers of Revival

Last night I had a dream about hell. It was scary; horrifying, actually. And I woke up with the words, "You're going to hell" pressing against my chest.

I got out of bed and went to the Word. I asked the Lord to speak truth to me, over me, around me, about me. "Sell all your possesions and give the money to the poor. Then come follow Me" was what sprang to mind. I wondered what He was asking of me. I think I'm willing to sell all I have, or even give it away. Am I? I'd like to believe so.

Katelynn came and ate breakfast with me (I'm desperately trying to start a girls Friday morning breakfast tradition...it's not working. It was just Kate and me. Ha.) "You're in Christ, Amy. There's no condemnation for those in Christ. The devil's trying to keep you out of this," pointing to my Bible sitting next to her plate of pancakes.

She's right. So what's of the Spirit's conviction and what's from the devil? They seem so close at times. And if this is from the devil, what is my Jesus up to that threatens the devil? Jesus, I need You to speak louder.

Katelynn went to class and I went to my couch with the Word and more coffee. I read about a woman with perpetual bleeding, a man with a daughter who was "only sleeping", a Samaritan village that rejected the Messiah, a parable about a compassionate Samaritan on a journey, those who wanted to follow Jesus but loved their things too much, Jesus talking to wind and water, a man with a legion of demons in him, some different kinds of soil with seeds in it, seventy men Jesus sent out who cast out demons and healed sick people, and Jesus rejoicing over babe's understanding better than the wise.

Here's the truth He showed me: Jesus is God. This God-Jesus came in man-flesh and lived this rediculously abandoned lifestyle. Jesus died. Jesus rose again. I believe this.

I heard a story in my preaching class yesterday. There's a pastor in the area who's wife died and left three children and a husband in the depths of grief. On the way to the funeral, this father asked his children if they could see the shadow of the truck next to them at the stop light. They could. "Which would you rather have hit you, the truck, or it's shadow?" Obviously the the shadow, they answered.

"Jesus let the truck of death smash against Him so that only the shadow would pass over us. Mama's just got a shadow over her right now."

Can you hear it? It's the song of the redeemed...

"Even though I pass through the Vally of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me..."

My heart is stirring. I'm brushing off the dust of modernity and materialism, waking up to the reality of this God-Jesus in my life. The Shadow of death, the threat of "sleep", the fear of the unknown other side, all bow to His power and authority and grace. He told the little girl's father not to weep, for she was only sleeping. He told this pastor that his wife was only under the shadow because He had taken the hit of death.

I'm excited. Just plain excited! Where is this going to take me? What will life in this reality look like today? This revival, this breath of awakening... what do I do with it? I can't hold it in. I don't know how to let it out.

Oh, the joys of walking with Jesus!