In my last post "why deerlife?..." I let you know that I started up deerlife, another blog for mutual encouragement, edification and support in ministry.

Today's post is a repost of something I put up on deerlife a few days ago here. I feel this message is an important one for those of us who have prayed and seem to see no visible results of our prayers. It is also a message for those of us who are tempted to believe that God cannot work through a single soul to accomplish great things for His Kingdom.

Over the past couple weeks I've been feeling weak and weary, and I know full well we all face that same temptation. Our spirits are willing, but the flesh is weak. But as we remember who God is and the resurrection power we have been given through the cross by the gift of His Spirit, as we continue to gaze upon Him and His purposes for us and for His Church, we can take heart and run the race set before us – no matter what we see. We can continue to preach the word in season and out of season and to pray without ceasing.

Though I may not be posting here so regularly at the moment, know that my heart is seeking revival and I am continuing to go to the throne of grace as God strengthens me. I know God has given others out there a similar burden to pray for revival. As I have said so many other times, there is no other help or hope for the Church today but through a sovereign movement of God's Holy Spirit. We are poor and needy! May God be gracious to us and rend the heavens and come down and revive and restore us to be a praise and glory in the earth! May our Savior who shed His blood to redeem us, our wonderful merciful, gracious and loving Father, the almighty, eternal, indestructible, immutable and only wise God, strengthen and sustain us by His grace through His Holy Spirit to persevere in the work He has set before us...

Half a dozen men: Is that too many to ask for?

I read George Whitefield's Journals last year and have wanted to reread them (I've dabbled in them a bit since that time), but I did take them along with me on retreat last week (see here and here for more on my time away).

Luke Tyerman (quoted by Iain Murray in the Introduction to George Whitefield's Journals, p. 19) wrote this about Whitefield:

After reading those words I wrote the following reflection/prayer in the margin and at the bottom of the page:

Amen.

So there I was praying in faith for half a dozen workers, trusting God to work through that small number...I thought that was a pretty strong prayer of faith...

But God showed me otherwise...

During one the services I attended while I was away, Scripture was read from Isaiah 51...

I had been asking the Lord for a half a dozen men and had been thinking that was a bold step of faith since in the big scheme of things half a dozen men is not very many, yet God rebuked and humbled me and reminded me all He needs is a single man. He doesn't need half a dozen men! He needs but one!

Aren't God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours?

We think (I think, anyhow) we certainly need more than one. We think (I think, anyhow) we need half a dozen men (or more, often many more). I continue to fall into the trap that we need more, more, more. More people to pray. More people to preach the Word. More. More. Grrr!

Is anything too hard for the Lord? No, of course not!

Can the Lord save by many or by few? Yes and yes!

Is not the Lord among His people wherever they go? Certainly yes!

Is the Lord's arm shortened or His power diminished because the numbers of men He chooses to enlist in His work are small? No, of course not!

On a retreat last spring God pretty much reminded me of this very same thing as I read Joshua 3 and reflected on His call to Israel to step out in faith:

Once more I've been reminded of how small my view of God is, how puny my faith is, and how I continue to limit God.

Did not God's Spirit move and bless and multiply through a single soul like Abraham our father?

Did not God's Spirit move and bless and multiply through a single soul, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ?

Cannot God's Spirit move and bless and multiply through a single one of us today?

I confess I find that hard to believe at times. ("O, Karen, ye of little faith!")

Yesterday on my other blog I was reflecting on Kingdom vision and posted some quotes from David Livingstone (from Rob Mackenzie's biography "David Livingstone: The Truth behind the Legend"). Here's one of them:

I know Livingstone meant this in a different way, but my friends in Christ, aren't we are that seed being sown, aren't we that small stone...

Yes, it's true that we are the least of all seeds now and we are a small stone now...seemingly insignificant in the eyes of men (and in our own eyes)...

However, because we are called by God and because we are filled with the Spirit of God ... Will we not grow a mighty tree? Will we not fill the whole earth?

Has God not called us like He did Abraham ... so He might bless and multiply us?

We see how we are so much like Abraham. Abraham was weak and powerless, his body was as good as dead and Sarah's womb was barren (see the last part of Romans 4) and yet we see how he trusted God's word and was justified by faith and lived by faith and God wrought through him a great nation, of which we are now a part by faith in Christ.

This is the same type of faith we're to have in God and in the promises of God. Yes, we are as good as dead. Yes, we are the least of seeds now. Yes, we are the small stone now ... Yes, that's us. But what do we know about God? Is not our God is the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Romans 4:17.

Just as the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, died, was buried and rose again from the dead to be the firstfruits of many creatures, so too we have been buried with Christ and raised by His resurrection power and filled with His Spirit so we might bear fruit to God – much fruit, fruit that will last (John 15). As we put to death our fleshly desires and live the life by His Spirit He intends, as we die to our own interests and live to His Kingdom interests, to seek to serve rather than be served, there is no doubt the Lord Christ will bear fruit through us (e.g.- see Romans 6). That is God's intent for each of His children, not just the George Whitefields of the world, not just the ordained pastors, not just the worship leaders, etc., etc. If we are Christ's joint-heirs, we cannot help but bear fruit like our Brother because we have His same fruit-bearing Spirit dwelling within us.

As Abraham was but one, we are but few when He calls us, but God's intent has always been the same for His people: to bless us and multiply us and bear fruit through us throughout the whole earth! Was that not Jesus' commission to us? Has our Lord not given us all we need to bear fruit as He commands?

Returning back to the title of this post...

Perhaps it is too many. Perhaps not. No matter. Let us ask our Lord first and foremost to circumcise each of our hearts by His Spirit so we might die to self to live to Him, to hate our lives in this world so we might keep them for eternal life, so we might bear much fruit to His glory. By His grace, may we trust His ways and His timing, knowing that He is working all things for His glory, whether it takes 30, 40 or 50 years or more, for we can be assured that He waits only so He might be highly exalted (Isaiah 30:18)! And, by His grace, may we (I) not limit Him but leave the numbers to Him! For indeed He doeth all things well, does He not?

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ whom God has given a heart and hunger to prayer for revival in the Church,

I've not posted here in a while and would like to update you today. The following is something I originally posted on my other website here in response to my concern that we who are seeking God's face for revival are too thinly spread on the wall, something I had touched on here. I know some of you may have already seen this post, but some of you may not.

I've been reading and reflecting on Nehemiah both here and on my other blog (see here).

The devil loves to undermine the work of the people of God anyway he can, and he particularly loves to nip in the bud any stirrings of prayer in the heart for he knows the effectual fervent prayers of righteous men, women, boys and girls avail much. Therefore I am praying God would keep all of us steadfast, immovable and abounding in the work of prayer for we know prayer with an eye to the glory of God is never in vain! May the resurrection Spirit of Jesus Christ who dwells in us keep us steadfastly setting our faces toward His throne of grace our Lord set His face like a flint and set Himself steadfastly to Jerusalem to finish all the work the Father had given Him. So long as we are here on the earth, we are called to intercessory prayer for the Church.

If you are already here you know God's desire is for His Church to give glory and praise to His Name. We also know that we as individuals as well as the Church as a whole continue to fall far short of that. However, we also know that God has promised to hear us for Jesus' sake as we ask anything according to His will. So may God give us grace and strength to persevere in prayer like the importunate widow and acknowledge, "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross i cling." We all clung to the cross for saving grace in the first place, and we must continue to cling for sustaining grace to persevere in prayer. We are nothing apart from Him. He is the Vine, we are the branches, without Him we can do nothing. Yet He has placed us in His Body, the Church, and given us to one another so we might strengthen, support and encourage each other through the life we share in Him in one Body through one Spirit.

My prayer is that my writing on my blogs, our prayers together, and our conversations with and messages to one another might serve to build up the Body and help us to put our eyes once more on Him because for too long we have sought help in all else but Him. We cannot orchestrate a revival because true Biblical revival comes through the sovereign grace and will of God alone as He chooses when and where He might pour down blessings upon His Church, but we can continue to seek the face of the sovereign God who may be gracious to us and have mercy on us and rend the heavens and come down and revive us again for the sake and the honor of His Name.

Therefore let us continue to work as God has directed us, yet while we work let us also continue watching in prayer in much the same way Jesus commanded the Church to tarry at Jerusalem. May we trust that in His sovereign time He will shake us once again and fill us once more with His Spirit to empower us to speak His Word with boldness and witness to Him to the ends of the earth. (e.g.- Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 4:23-31; Eph. 5:18)

If you know of anyone at all who has a heart for revival, I would encourage you to let them know there are others here whom God is also raising up with a similar passion. I am continuing to pray God would raise up laborers broken-hearted over the ruins in the Church and stirred in their hearts by His Spirit to pray for revival in the Church.

If you have any questions or comments, please message me or comment below.

Nehemiah 4:19  And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20  In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

Though we're each to be part of a local congregation, we are each also part of the church universal. Over the past few years of blogging, I've made a couple close friends here, friends that have encouraged me and prayed for me and I've done the same for them.

For quite some time now I've felt a bit like Nehemiah did, i.e.- The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.

God has placed each one of us in the church for a reason (both the local church as well as the church universal). We are not only dependent on Him, but we are interdependent on one another. That's part of God's design. It's a reflection of the diversity and unity we find in the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I've always felt an affinity, a calling, to minister cross-Church/cross-denomination, what have you. I love being able to fellowship with believers from all across the Body of Christ and for now, that's primarily the harvest field to which God keeps sending me (e.g.- please see my posts here and here). Yes, with that, there's always a bit of tension...

Now I'm expecting, Lord willing, to enter into a commitment to my local congregation, so I do have a calling and responsibility to minister there. However I also have a calling to minister to and in the church beyond that particular body of believers.

Specifically, I have seen that God has brought some of us together here who have a passion for Him and a heart to pray for revival. There are some of us who have seen the ruins in the Church and have been grieved over them. Please see my posts here, here, here, here, here and here. Please, please read these things if you've already been grieved as an encouragement to stay the course, and if you've not been grieved, I ask you to read them; my prayer is that the Holy Spirit might prick some of your hearts and show you things you've not seen before and be grieved like Nehemiah for we are in great trouble and shame...we are broken down.

In addition my blog here, which is devoted primarily to the teaching of the Word, a year ago I opened up tent of meeting, a blog devoted to prayer for revival. If God has been putting into your heart a burden to pray for the Church, I invite you to visit tent of meeting; you can read more about it here.)

For quite some time now I've been praying about a way we might support one another in a more tangible way, in a bit more organized way...

I shared some of my thoughts and desires about that in this post a few months ago...

I've had contact with some of you via your comments here, your own blogs and personal messages. I have been blessed to have found some like-minded believers who have a passion for God. I am eternally grateful for your prayers and support for me and your challenges to me to press on toward the mark of the prize of the high calling.

In case you didn't know it, a few days ago I started up another blog, deerlife. (Yes, some of you might be tempted to say I am beginning to collect blogs much like Imelda Marcos collected shoes... )

You can read more of my vision for deerlife here. If you have a heart for God and a passion to see the people of God revived through the local church, and if God is leading you to be involved in that work and to encourage others in that work, I invite you to check out deerlife. I'm hoping that deerlife might be one means God uses to bring us together as we work on the wall, similar to Nehemiah's intent:

Nehemiah 4:19  And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20  In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

The work is great. The work is widely spread. We are separated on the wall, far from one another.

If we back up in Nehemiah 4, we see another reason for us to come together: the world is united in opposition against Christ and against those who are working to do His will (Nehemiah 4:8):

(Please also see my posts on Nehemiah here and here about the opposition we face.)

Notice that the enemies of God were united: Plotting together. Conspiring all of them together. (How often does the church come together as God intends?)

Of course this opposition to God's people and God's work is nothing new:

As we look at Jesus' words in John 17, we love to read about the essential unity we as believers share in Jesus Christ and how our unity brings glory to God and is a witness to the world, but let's not forget this: the world is also unified: unified against us because we are of Christ, because we are no longer of this world, because we have been born again into a new life through the Holy Spirit and are no longer of the world. Yet we are sent into the world; as a result we will have tribulation and trouble.

The race set before us is a race we must run by faith despite the tribulations and troubles we will face in this world. But God has given us the means to do so. He given us His Word, His Spirit and one another to assist us in running the race. And of course, our great high priest Jesus Christ is continuing to intercede for us at the right hand of God in glory. He was in the world and was victorious over the world and conquered the grave, overcame sin, death and Satan. He can sympathize with our weaknesses; consider that He was tempted and yet without sin! All these things are necessary ingredients so we might press on to know Christ and make Him known.

So as we are sent into the world (in this case: many, many places all over the earth), my prayer is that deerlife might be one means we sound the trumpet and rally to one another: to fellowship with, encourage, exhort, build up one another and bear one another's burdens, to rally to one another to stand strong against the wiles and taunts of the devil and our own flesh. That includes rejoicing with one another and weeping with one another, and even our having fun on occasion as well for we know that a cheerful heart is good medicine. Much like Elijah, we sometimes lose perspective and forget there are many, many others God has called to His work (at least I know I do).

My intent here is not to undermine or supplant or minimize the local church but rather to encourage others to rise and go and minister primarily in their local churches and communities, wherever God leads. I will add that for some of you, your local church may actually be a church plant or a mission or God knows where. I want each of you to be where God wants you to be, to fulfill the holy ambition He has for your life and not to waste your lives! I am praying as we run the race, we might be a means of support for one another as we rise and go and minister wherever God sends us (including here on Xanga and Revelife as He leads us).

Last year I wrote how I believed that God could bring something good out of Xanga. Though my faith has wavered, I still believe that. Yes, it seems preposterous if we begin to look at the situation through human eyes, but may God anoint our eyes to see Who He really is! Is His arm shortened that He cannot save? Our God is the God who can do immeasurably above all we can ask or image. Why can't God bring something good out of Xanga and Revelife? I know many of us have gotten discouraged disenchanted and dismayed with much of the watered-down content here (as well as in many congregations and denominations, even those which were once strongly orthodox):

• the tearing down of the authority of God and the Bible
• the lack of solid Biblical teaching rooted in Christ and Him crucified
• Christianity being remade into just another religion rather than the only way of salvation
• the Jesus who would never sit as Judge over anyone
• the watering down of Biblical definitions of sin and holiness
• so-called gospels which allow for continuing sin without conviction of sin
• Jesus as our boyfriend
• Christianity rooted in emotions with no doctrinal foundation
• Christianity rooted in intellectual profession with no room for the working of His Holy Spirit
• Christianity that is more concerned about the outward appearance than the heart
• so-called gospels which are but legalistic bondage
• moral teaching, family values and social gospels which cleverly disguise themselves as Biblical Christianity
• entertainment being exchanged for discipleship
• the pick-and-choose, self-centered Christianity which makes Christianity a means to gaining happiness

There are more, I know, but those are just a few off the top of my head. Looking at this list can either make us depressed...or press us into our Master's service to work on the wall once again! If we look at the situation through our own eyes and forget the power God provides us, we will have every reason to be depressed! I admit I've been depressed about these things, but God has been gracious and hasn't ever let me stay in my depression for very long...He's kept taking my eyes off the ruins and put them on Him time and again. He is Lord! He is Lord! He is King of the Church! He is Head of the Body! He will have the preeminence in His Church, which was created by Him, for Him and to His glory! When we see the ruins (which we will and should), we need to help one another to keep looking away to Jesus, our sure hope! He whose live birthed us into being will not fail to revive us again for His glory!

Do the things I've listed above bother you? (Have you ever noticed them?) Do you care? Do you see how far short we are falling of the glory God has intended for us? Will you do whatever it takes?

Wouldn't it be just like God to take the blogging communities of Xanga and Revelife and use them to sweep through the world with the wind and fire of His Holy Spirit, starting with a few of us here! Remember that the King of kings and Lord of lords delights to use the foolish, despised and weak things of the world for His glory! Look through the Bible and Church history and see the unlikely people He uses to accomplish His will!

I believe He can do that. Will He do it? Who's to say? I can't say He will. God is sovereign. But let's not be guilty of limiting God based on what we see or what we think is possible but trust by faith what He can do in the blink of an eye! With Him all things are possible! We know how His mighty Spirit has come in and worked in many of our lives and brought us from death to life and begun to transform us into the image of Christ. (If you've not known that work in your lives, then perhaps you've not really known Him...) Can almighty God not work in a similar way many times over to bring revival to thousands and thousands of people? After all, is He not the God who orchestrated the saving of 3000 souls on the day of Pentecost almost 2000 years ago? Is He not the God that preserved the nation of Israel time and again from extermination all so He could preserve the line of Jesus Christ? We see God preserving and providing for His people time and again. Let's walk with the same faith we read of in the great cloud of witnesses. We have the same God as they did!

Until God calls me elsewhere, I am willingly offering myself to remain here (Nehemiah 11:2). It is my heart's desire to encourage anyone who has but a mustard seed of faith that God wants to bring revival to His Church once more to come alongside you to help to plant, water, nurture and fertilize those seeds of faith and trust God to give the increase. The Church today in many places is much like Israel and Jerusalem were after the exile: we are in great trouble and shame...we are broken down. We are sorely in need of revival. We must look to the living God and His power to work in and through us what we cannot do apart from Him. May almighty God be gracious to us and rend the heavens and come down and restore, revive and renew us once more for His glory!

If you have further questions, please comment below or message me

Yours in Christ, seeking His face for revival in my own life and in the Church for His glory,
Karen

Over the past several posts here, we've been reading through/reflecting on/praying through the book of Nehemiah. Please see my posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

On my other blog, I've done some posts on how God places the members into the Body of Christ as He wills, so today's prayer follows along on that same theme (e.g. - please see here, here and here).

Nehemiah was God's ordained leader sent by God to seek the welfare of God's people. He was grieved to hear of and then see Israel and the city of Jerusalem a reproach and in distress. God had put it into Nehemiah's heart to go to Jerusalem to lead the people in rebuilding.

Whenever there are ruins in the Church, God calls some to lead His people in rebuilding. Sometimes God's Church has gotten so low, so terribly low, that we barely resemble the New Testament Church, but thanks be to God because God's love for us in Jesus Christ is persevering, His good hand continues to be on us, and He raises up such men and women to lead His people in His way and His time, and then He puts it into the heart of His people to become engaged in the work of rebuilding. Very often that work of intercession for revival has begun with a couple people in very unlikely places (please see my posts here and here). We know the Lord Jesus told us that where two are three are gathered in His Name, He is in the midst. We also know that God's arm is not shortened that it cannot save. God is not limited by numbers (e.g. - consider the mustard seed, the leaven, the story of Gideon – please see here).

I will confess there have been times I've become discouraged because sometimes it seems there are only two or three praying (even less), yet God keeps reminding me there are others who are unseen (like He reminded Elijah). He also reminds me it's not about numbers, and that very often numbers serve to obscure His glory. First and foremost God wants hearts surrendered to Him and devoted to Him and His glory. God is seeking our unwavering obedience and our continuing prayers no matter what we might see. May we persevere in faith in approaching His throne of grace knowing no matter whether we see God's hand move mightily in His Church in our lifetimes or not, He hears our prayers and is pleased with us. Let us not seek results but continue to seek His face in spite of what we might see. May we walk by faith and not by sight. May we be found at our time of death on our knees as David Livingstone was, whose whole body was worn out beyond imagination but His heart and mind and soul remained wholly devoted to the service of His Savior.

God is seeking souls who will obey His call to them and persevere in that calling by faith. He is seeking souls who see their own poverty and neediness as well as that of the Church, souls which will continue to come to the throne of grace asking for His Church to be restored and revived. God will never fail to hear our prayers when we are seeking Him and His Kingdom and seeking that His Church be revived by His power to His glory alone.

I have been continuing to pray God would set watchmen on the wall:

We look at how Nehemiah was strategic in placing people in chapter 4:

In the same way God places people in the Body of Christ. He is calling some of His people to be intercessors, to be watchmen on the wall, those who will give Him no rest until He establishes His Church and makes us a praise in the earth.

Lord Jesus,

Nehemiah heard Your voice calling him to go to Jerusalem. We praise you for his example of obedience, dedication to and love for You and Your will and Your people. Yet we cannot forget that the wall was not built by Nehemiah alone. The people of Israel responded to Your voice to the work of building and defending.

We are so tempted to hand over the work of Your Church to a few leaders like Nehemiah, but let us never forget that You have called and equipped each one of us to walk in particular works to Your glory. We are all ministers. We pray we might have ears to hear where You are stationing us on the wall and that we might respond in willing obedience as Your Holy Spirit works in us.

You are the head of the Church, the head of the Body. You died so we might live to you. You have gifted each one of us differently. Your Father has ordained works for each one of us to walk in. Though all are called to prayer, there are some of us whom You have ordained to the work of intercession. Others have been called to other works in Your Kingdom. There are many members with many gifts and many callings, but one purpose: to seek the welfare of Your Church and to bring You glory. We are many members but we are called to work together as one man with one mind to Your glory. I am praying You would open ears to hear Your call. We can get distracted in doing many good works, but they may not be the works You have ordained for us. Give each one of us ears to hear Your voice, so we might know where You are stationing each of us. Give each one of us hearts to obey Your voice.

May we rejoice in the works You are calling each of us to do and treasure the high privilege it is to be involved in Your work here on the earth. May we not neglect using our gifts as You are calling us. May we seek to glorify You and steward all You have given us to build up the Church once again.

I pray Your mighty resurrection power would keep each of us persevering by faith with joy in the places You have stationed each one of us in the work of building and defending Your Church. Like Israel, we too will meet opposition. Keep us strong, steadfast, immovable abounding in Your work. We can be certain that our labor in You is not in vain.

Thank You for saving us and calling us to Yourself and making us a people when we were not Your people. Thank You for showing us mercy when we knew no mercy. Your love, grace and mercy never fail to astound us. In light of Your manifold mercies shown us in Jesus Christ, through His Spirit who dwells in us, may willingly and joyfully offer ourselves to You as living sacrifices for that is our reasonable service, our acceptable worship. We were made to serve You, to worship You. May You keep us in Your yoke, in harness for You wherever You station us on the wall, Lord Jesus, just as You finished all the work Your Father gave You to do.

Amen.