These past few weeks have been some of the best on the race. I have been dreaming again. I have been hoping in a generation more and more that will live the way Christ intended. A generation that will be church not do church. The Lord has been showing me that it starts with the one. Revival starts in our own hearts and the Lord is cultivating vision and dreams in the hearts of his saints. The meaning of revival is to recover ones breath. The very breath that was breathed into Adam is being recovered through the second Adam who is Jesus Christ.
Before the race I had a vision of many children in chains. In the vision I remember standing upon a hill with a man looking upon people being persecuted in chains. This man then gave me a key and said to go and unlock them. As made my way down, the sounds of screams and shrieks filled my ears. The people were being persecuted. They were being beaten and yelled at. The first man I approached was older, dressed in rags and had shackles on his writs and ankles. I approached him feeling confident he would want what I had. I asked him if he wanted me to unlock him. He held out his wrists with gladness and I put in the key and the shackles fell. As I went for his ankles he took of running and quickly fell to the ground. I explained I could unlock his legs too but he wouldn’t listen and just kept getting up and falling down over and over again. Frustrated I turned my attention to an old women sitting on the ground caked with dirt and decorated with wrinkles which told the story of years of struggle and persecution.
As I approached her she began to scream very loud at me and told me to get away. I tried to explain to her I could unlock her but she just screamed and told me to get away. It was as if she was comfortable with her misery and had lost hope. I then began to get angry and confused because I had this key to unlock these people but I couldn’t use it. I then walked behind her and saw a small boy on his knees. I remember he was dressed in ripped and stained clothes. His hair was jet black and he was looking down into the dirt. As I walked up to him I asked him if I could help him. His head immediately shot up at me at staring at me with his large dark eyes and said, “Yes, yes please.” I bent down as he held up his little wrists and I put the key in and his shakes fell to the ground. As I went for his ankles anxiety fell over me, worried he would try and run off like the man before him. I told me I had to unlock his ankles too and he shook his head in agreement. Set free, he looked into my eyes and said, “Could you please help me with something else.” “Of course,” I told him. “Could you unlock my friends too.” As I stood up and looked over his head I saw lines of children all kneeling in chains as far as the eye could see. I gave him the key and he began to unlock kids one by one. When I opened my eyes from the vision the floor was wet with tears and I continued to weep for a while. I felt the Lords heart literally in mine and couldn’t explain it. I broke for children I had never met.
I have since held onto this vision since the race asking the Lord ok what does this mean.
I believe the Lord places desires in our hearts to be fulfilled. Our God is a redeeming God and I have a heart for the orphan. Here in Cambodia I have had the opportunity to spend time with a lot of orphans and have my own heart come alive. My dream is to help their dreams come alive. My dream is to give these kids hope in the dark places. My dream is to turn the hearts of the fathers and mothers back to the children and the children back to the fathers and mothers. My dream is to establish pillars to a church with no wall of religiosity and legalism in the world to call in the masses to worship our redeeming God who’s heart is for the orphan. Who’s heart is for restoration. It is time we all start dreaming of Gods dream of glorifying his name. I have never felt more alive in all my life seeing the love God has for these children. It’s amazing to see the opportunity we can give to them to chase after their dreams in the Lord. It’s amazing to see hope.
