40 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Words From the Fast
This is what we’ve heard. Some of this is formatted, some is not, but we’ll clean it up as we go along.
If you’ve got something you think might be from the Lord during this fast, please send it to prophetic@abbosfordvineyard.com or leave it in the comments below.
Compiled July 26 by Mike
John Apperloo
Picture:
Matt Brown was removing a coat: Splitting it at the stomach and peeling it off. It was thick and insulated. He was praying about washing off the accusations of the enemy. When we were uncovered it felt like being freed and we are alive.
Word:
Scott McKenzie said today that the Vineyard was like an abbs sixpack covered by something. We weren’t able to practice the free expression of values we espouse as a body: values of
- relational community,
- of person to person ministry (everyone gets to play) and
- spontaneity
Interpretation:
There are things that need to be removed from us, the casting off of the unnecessary
Patricia Young
Verse:
“The meek he will guide in judgement – the meek he will show his way.” (Ps. 25:9)
Interpretation:
We get his guidance when we humble ourselves
Verse:
“Fill my heart to seek the Lord.” (I wasn’t able to locate this reference)
Interpretation:
We’re want to seek him, and not other things. Then when we find him, we stay with him.
Gerry Hiebert
Impulse:
Fast worry, anxiety and stress.
Steve Nolte
A dream:
Steve was driving car down road, and about to take corner. He noticed that the road is covered with water. Hears the Lord say, “Slow down.”
Interpretation:
There’s good stuff happening. But as we make changes (J VV suggested this might include the building), we need to be cautious/careful.
Jeremy Hein
A picture of:
A sailboat with a deep, deep keel.
Interpretation:
The deep keel is our connection to God. It needs to be deep so when the winds come, we still sail straight.
John Van Vloten
A picture of:
an underground river
Interpretation:
A sense that God is already in our midst but in an underground way, taking care of our roots, giving us enough of his presence that we are encouraged to put roots down deeper, into him.
Eric Janzen
Question asked of God:
“Who do you want to be to us?”
I heard, “I am Faithful.”
Interpretation:
God is Faithful—always.
This has been a great comfort to me (Eric).
Picture:
Jesus standing in a deep, yet sunlit, hole leaning on a shovel. It was clear that he had been digging but was now taking a rest. Holy Spirit showed me that many people had participated in the digging but that this was the Lord’s work. I asked what this was and he said, “I’ve been digging and uncovering this well.” I looked and saw water, deep blue in colour, bubbling up from the well’s bottom. It was incredible and filled with a sense of invitation. I asked the Lord, “What do we do now?” He replied with a smile, “Let it happen.”
Interpretation from Mike:
We’ve partnered with the Lord. We’ve done good work, and gone deep. Now we relax and let the Lord finish the work.
John Van Vloten, Jeremy Hein, Patrician Young, Steve Nolte
A sense at Sunday am prayer, Jul 25:
That when we buy a building, we shouldn’t be thinking too small
John Van Vloten
A sense that:
I have the sense that God was saying you think that I’m a God a shortfall and I want to show you that I’m like an apple orchard where there is always a windfall.
Interpretation:
It’s a reminder that with God provision is not a problem!
Eric Janzen
When responding to the request for a summary of the above words:
I’m seeing two main themes emerging here so far. One is that God is (and has been) faithful in establishing what he wants to do. There is the sense that he has been at work behind the scenes preparing for the season(s) we are yet to see. I think this is why so many words are about things that are deep…they are under the surface out of sight but are—and will—be emerging. Thus, the instructions about not rushing…we need to allow what Jesus has been doing to come to light and grow both within and around us.
I know this can seem frustrating for some because they want to spring into action of some kind. I would suggest that our actions are to be very Vineyard: Worship and praying for one another. My sense is that if we focus on Jesus as our Centre and our singular goal—the second theme running through many of these words—we will not miss any aspect of what God has prepared. Our activities should be about increasing our collective intimacy with God’s Presence both in worship and ministering to one another. Allowing space for Holy Spirit to move in our midst is vital to breathing life into our community after such a long time of being unable to meet in person. Hope that makes some sense and may spark further insight for others.
Steve Nolte
Steve had mentioned how leaves releasing water created a pressure that allowed the roots to send up fresh water. I pondered this and thought:
“It’s the letting go that ensures the flow…”
I was struck by Is. 49:19-23
especially the idea that our children will come back and will complain that there isn’t enough room for them all. They need room to spread out. I feel like that may be a promise to us when the seasons shift from rest to rebuilding. Dreaming for a massive influx of people (and maybe our own children who aren’t walking with God now.)
August 14, 2021
Joyce Sukko
This morning as I was reading Ezra, I was impressed with what Ezra saw and experienced as ‘the gracious hand of the Lord upon him’ and the returning exiles. He was given favour by the king and given a lot of gold, silver and precious furnishings for the temple in Jerusalem.
I felt led to pray that we too would experience the gracious hand of the Lord upon us as we approach EMC with our proposal for space in their church building. Seeing God’s favour upon us in their response would be a tremendous encouragement to us that He is making provision for us.
Perhaps Ron and/or whoever is presenting our proposal could let us know when that is happening so we could be in prayer at that time (as well as going forward). We want to see the hand of the Lord in this! I believe this is a important in our journey of what God has for us.
Eric Janzen
Today the Lord showed me a flowing stream of water with strong banks to either side. He said, “It is important that the banks not weaken and erode.”
I asked what he meant cause I didn’t understand. I heard the phrase, “Soften your hearts and guard them against becoming unloving. The Spirit leads the humble and those who serve others–who choose Love even when that is the harder choice. Walk in Peace. Walk in gentleness. Walk in Kindness. The fruit of the Spirit will grow in you abundantly if you walk in these things which create a strong spiritual foundation for the flowing Presence of Holy Spirit. In short: He loves to abide where there is Love.”
That’s what I heard. If you want to share that with the prayer group and weigh it then please do. It feels larger to me than I’m comfortable with
Responses to Eric’s word, above
Steve: You can’t make yourself loving or peaceful. That is the work of the Spirit. We are called to rest in the Holy Spirit. Steve sees Jesus sitting beside him. The river flows through us. The banks remain even if the river overflows it. Don’t worry about it.
Steve thinks that the banks are love and peace.
Jeremy: Jesus says “Remain in me.” The banks are stable as we remain in him. A play on words, the bank is where we withdraw the love and peace that we need to walk in.
Our love in action is the strength of the banks. If we aren’t walking in love it erodes the banks and clogs the flow.
We are part of the river of God. We are called to flow with him.
16 COMMENTS
I’d love you to leave things that you’re getting from the Lord for our church below!
Sunday August 28, 2021
At the Sunday morning prayer time as Patricia Young was praying for people who felt overwhelmed and confused by the busyness of life with their priorities all messed up. I had a picture of a glass mason jar that was filled with coloured blocks. Even though they were stacked up nicely there was a sense that blocks were in the wrong order and needed to be re-ordered, re- stacked. If people are willing the Lord will shake the jar and set the blocks in the right order. Also get the sense that when the blocks are set in the right order the Lord will transform them to shine as bright as the sun!
Ask Him to help reset your priorities: seek Him first and He’ll cause everything else to fall into place! When our priorities are set right He will cause us to shine brightly for everyone to see!
Nice!
Addendum:
Riley came up to me after speaking this out on Sunday and shared a picture he had that instead of blocks there were rocks. Some were big, some medium, some small and some sand. Again it is important which way they were ordered. Big first then progressively smaller and sand at the end, even shaking it to allow the sand to move down. In this way it is completely filled to even overflowing!
I saw a beautiful new gleaming school bus filled with people. Birgit Hampson was at the wheel smiling for all she was worth.
She started to drive and almost immediately had to turn down the road and then into a farmers field.
At this point in the dream it seemed that I was viewing it from a distance as well as being part of it. I realized it was a dream and wondered why Birgit was driving the bus. It came to me that she might be representing prayer. For the most prominent characteristic of Birgit is that she is a prayer warrior.
I also wondered where the bus was going and it came to me that the bus was going to Asia. I know that that’s a name of a school in Abbotsford school district and so I thought we were going to play them in a game of basketball. However, then I thought on another level that might be representative of the missions focus for our church if the church was being represented by a bus.
Then I recalled our previous church history when I had observed that we had a lot of fluent French speaking people in our Abbotsford congregation years ago. At first I assumed we were supposed to go to France, and then to Quebec. However, I soon came to realize that God was actually calling us to minister to fruit pickers from Quebec that were in the Okanogan.
With this in mind, I wondered if our ministry was actually going to be towards Asians who had come to Abbotsford.
The dream continued with Birgit driving into the farmers field. The field was actually an orchard filled with fruit trees planted in narrow rows. The trees were perhaps 6 feet apart and it would’ve been impossible for a large school bus to get between them. However, Birgit’s smile never faded as she maneuvered the bus deftly between the rows without a scratch. I realized I was witnessing a miracle as the bus seem to morph into a narrow and then normal configuration as it maneuvered through the rows Of trees.
As I was waking from the dream I thought that this may have something to do with our church moving to the Emanuel Mennonite church building. I have noticed many times that south Asian men and some women have congregated around the church parking lot in groups where they talk and play games.
I dreamed that I was at church, there was worship going on even though I didn’t see the worship leader. I was towards the back sitting with young people on a raised circular platform with people sprawled across it worshiping. The presence of the Lord kept getting stronger and stronger as we worshiped. Then people started leaving, I went out with some others to bring them back into the service because I knew in my spirit that they needed to be there. After we convinced them to come back in. I said to those around me, His Spirit is here to bring people freedom. His presence is here to set people free, from the things that bind them. I continued to talk about that for a few minutes. Then I woke up. When I woke up I asked the Lord about the dream. He said I needed to share it during the prayer meeting that morning. I went back to sleep.
But I had a hard time waking up.
I think as we continue to seek Him and His Kingdom presence, His intent is to bring freedom, in all its forms
Hey, everyone, Steve and I had a little more conversation about his dream. I asked him to step back into the dream and ask the Lord to show Steve what he saw when he looked at the people. This is what followed. It looked like this part of the conversation ended up only sending to Steve and I so thought I would share it with all of you.
Here’s what I get from the Lords view worship is like plowing the deeper his presence goes the more things get popped up , and manifesting stuff.
Worship is like a hose too the stronger the pressure the more gets cleansed . Hopefully those analogy’s help
Steve
This is really great insight, Steve. I think the Lord wants the church to be aware that as his Presence increases so does the light shining on our hearts, which can make people feel exposed as they begin to see by that light some of the things within them that may not be that great, or painful issues, or memories that are painful etc… We need to both be gracious and kind in meeting people where they are at and ministering to them as well as perhaps teach on this a bit when appropriate:
Holy Spirit’s Presence reveals things we sometimes want to stay hidden or not have to deal with but He reveals them at the right time because he wants to release His healing and freedom to us in those very things. This isn’t judgment. This is an invitation to a deeper and freer relationship with God. He is always about inviting us to be transformed in His Presence so that we look a little more like Jesus. Or something like that 🙂
I think your dream is the Lord saying something like: Be on the lookout for people who feel they have to leave when the Presence increases because they don’t think God would want them to stay. He wants them to stay! He loves them and as you say in the dream, wants to bring freedom to their lives as they live in the Kingdom.
cheers,
eric
It was interesting that Jim White felt in his spirit yesterday that we should continue worshipping instead of moving on and we did! There was a great deal of good Holy Spirit activity that resulted! That goes along with the dream I think. The Spirit was at work in worship and instead of leaving the circle (as in the dream) we felt that need to continue into it! Cool eh?
The people leaving were not young people, but people being tweaked by the presence of God it felt like there was some demonic influence on them, hence their reaction to his presence. I think that’s why I talked about God wanting set them free
Steve
What a great dream, Ron. So interesting! I had a few thoughts as I read it, so thought I would share them.
I think you’re right in seeing the bus as symbolic of the church…a large vehicle meant for carrying many people. That it is shiny and new seems appropriate to the new season the church is in and all the changes that have happened (and are happening). It sounded very hopeful to me that you saw it shining and new–I think that’s important for us as a church to have that perspective, which is the Lord’s way of viewing it, I believe.
It is also striking to see how you understand that Birgit is symbolic of how prayer will move this bus forward and cause it to move in miraculous ways. Prayer is something the Vineyard has always done well and I think your dream is both a reminder and a call to pray for the church as we journey on…I also have the sense that what you are seeing in your dream is the result of prayer…so let us all keep praying and be encouraged that the bus is moving even if we’re not sure quite how yet.
One other element that jumped out at me were the trees in the orchard and how the bus was able to move about in their midst, shifting and morphing as needed to fit through them. Trees are often symbolic of people in dreams and I had the sense that the Abby Vine is becoming a community that will be able to move in the field (world) amongst the trees (people) in a way that is both accessible to them while remaining true to who Abby Vine is. There is a mysterious flexibility in the bus in the dream that seems impossible yet it is…perhaps the Lord is teaching us something about how we can be a community that will be a safe and welcome place for people who don’t yet know Christ in a very complicated world.
One last thought: I think your understanding about Asia in the dream linking to South Asians in Abbotsford is something to keep in mind. The Lord might confirm that by opening up some connections for some in the church and your dream is like a ‘head’s up’ to be aware and looking for those.
Hope something in all that is helpful. I love talking about dreams so I can kind of go on and on.
Cheers,
eric
Last week at church many people were giving words about waiting and boats in the water. I don’t often like to share from the mic the words I hear because when the Lord speaks to my heart, I usually get some tears at the same time and I’m not about to blubber on the mic.
I wanted to share a dream that I had at the beginning of June.
In the dream I was going on vacation. I was looking forward to relaxing and putting my feet up on the beach. I was in a rented house on the beach in a vacation town. As I looked out the window, my anticipation turned to disappointment as the clouds rolled in and rain started to fall. As I looked out on the water I saw a huge (tsunami sized) wave start to form. On the wave was thousands of boats. All different colours. I could barely see the water because the wave was just lined with boats. I looked away from the wave for a second, and when I looked back the wave was coming up to the house, but instead of boats, now the wave was lined with people. I woke up as the wave of people were about to hit the house.
I understand that dreams are usually about the person who dreams the dream. At the time of the dream I had just started a survey at the Food Bank and was in the process of interviewing all the guests of the Food Bank. My awareness of need and tragedy went up by 1000% because of the one-on-one interactions I was having. Keep in mind I’ve worked there for over 10 years so this shouldn’t be such a shock to me. This just shows that one can be surrounded by need and have periods of numbness (Lord have mercy). This woke me up to the very reason I work there, to serve our community and find creative ways to ensure access to food and other essentials.
I believe the dream was a wake up call for me, and because I attend the Abbotsford Vineyard and have been praying about the next chapter, I can’t help but also apply the dream to church life. While we are in a time of rest and waiting, let us not fall asleep to the need, and to those who are looking for a saviour. I believe there is a tsunami of people searching for Jesus, but also have practical needs. I hope our church desires to be ready and not on vacation when the need comes knocking on our door. Are we aware of the needs? Do we know how to resource those in need? How do we respond to those expressing need? These are the questions I have before the Lord as my spirit is sensitive to his tsunami of people. Take time to rest, but don’t fall asleep to the need.
On a completely different note:
The verse that stood out to me this morning was in regards to a building.
I was reading in Ezra 3 – when the temple was being rebuilt after the Solomonic foundations had been levelled by the Babylonians (a had-century earlier). Verse 12 stuck out:
11“ With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “he is good; His love to Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.”
A footnote in my Bible says that Babylonian artifact of a cornerstone reads “I started the work weeping, I finished it rejoicing.”
My take away from this highlight is that our emotions don’t necessarily reflect the rightness or wrongness of the process. God had space for both the weeping and the rejoicing of his people as they earnestly desired to follow His word. In this process of finding a new space for the Abbotsford Vineyard, there will be weeping and rejoicing. And that didn’t seem to bother God back then, and I’m not sure it bothers him now 🙂
Somehow that ministered to my soul. I hope there’s something in there for someone else too.
All the best,
Rebecca
That’s an intense dream, Rebecca! I heard a very similar dream from someone else a little over a year ago, so it really struck me when I read it.
While you’re right that the dream was for you, there is also an element to it that is for all of us and you are right to see that. Part of what the Lord has given to me for the church has been this message of being in rest and learning to be at peace in the midst of very difficult circumstances while we wait on the Lord. I think your dream actually shows why this is so important. There is a tsunami of need rising and arriving around us as people find themselves in both practical need and spiritual need. If we aren’t ready to minister to the people that Jesus will bring (and is beginning to bring) to us as a church then we will have been caught on the beach just staring at the wave. We are getting ready every time we fix our focus on Jesus alone and His Kingdom, allowing him to prepare our hearts to love the broken and the hurting whom he brings to our shore…and when we minister to those waves of people (a longstanding anointing in the Vineyard Movement interestingly enough) we will need to know how to step back into rest and peace so that we are ready for the next wave. Your dream and what the Lord has been saying go hand in hand as your dream shows us why we must learn to find our rest and peace in Him so that we have the inner strength and resources to respond to those He wants to bring to us and so that we can reach out to those he shows us.
I hope you don’t mind me adding on to your dream post here…I just felt like the Lord was speaking through it and wanted to share that as well.
I look at a tsunami of people and think. Enjoy being small while it lasts. We are going to see growth once the season’s shift.
Yeah, I couldn’t help but think the same thing.
[…] Clearly, this is a synopsis. If you want to read the original pictures, dreams and words, you’ll find most of them in this same section, under, “Words From the Fast.” […]
Over the past few months God has given me several pictures for the Abby Vine.
1. Called to be a Rock in the storms of change in our culture. Immovable, but having the sharp edges worn off by the onslaught of the waves.
2. A beacon of light (lighthouse) for those in danger, weary, and sick.
3. During worship one Sunday, He said clearly: “I am your (AV) North Star. As the North Star aligns with the earth’s axis, it stays in the same position despite the seeming change of all the stars around it. As a result, it can be used for navigation on the oceans and in the trackless desert. During times of slavery in the USA, fleeing slaves used it to find their way north, often to Canada. (The Holy Spirit guides us out of bondage and fear into freedom.)
Also, during the fast God gave me encouragement re: not giving up as a church despite the many troubles. John Stott said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fail.”
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