Today, I feel like I stumbled on that pearl of great price. I literally feel like I have found hidden treasure. I know this is a major breakthrough, yet it is not the break through we (or at least I) have been looking for. When you read on, you may think, “duh! I know that…” Please do not take that approach however tempting. The context of this revelation is 4 weeks of daily and at times heart wrenching prayer from 6-8am everyday. As a group, we have embraced seeking the face of the Lord and turning to him as best as we can. We have cried out for the presence of God, interceded on behalf of city, wept over the condition of our souls, and asked for a greater hunger and thirst for God. Many of these young people have taken on limited fasts and have turned from various activities in order to better seek the face of God. In the midst a vision for revival and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God birthed this vision in our hearts.
For over a half an hour I lay flat on my face, moments of silence were interrupted by sobs as the worship music from the laptop filled the room. It was one of those times when nobody wanted to move. God was captivating us with his presence, but it wasn’t the experience that enthralled us. It was the picture of Jesus being burned on our eyes, minds, hearts, and emotions.
We had come together at 6am. We began with thanksgiving in an effort to rouse ourselves but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere in prayer. After 10-15 minutes, we began to be reminded of what Jesus had done for us on the cross. We remembered how Jesus rescued us out of darkness and brought us into his kingdom that we love. We remembered the great cost he paid in order for that to take place. Then, we remembered that as he hung on that cross he called out, “Father forgive them.” Suddenly, something crystallized. Here I am begging God for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit day after day, and yet, I am still unable to forgive or overlook so many small things that people do to me. Yet there is our tortured Savior hanging from a cross forgiving his tormentors. It was that moment for me that the greatness of God entered the room.
It was like our hearts began to be captivated by the Savior himself. Our focus turned from ourselves, revival, anointing, and prayer to Jesus himself. We had been seeking the glory, the presence, the power… suddenly we were seeking Jesus himself. Jeremiah said, “You will find me if you seek me with all of your heart.” We hadn’t set out to find HIM, but in the course of our seeking through this fast, God sovereignly led us to the one person worth seeking, worth becoming like, worth becoming obsessed with. We couldn’t take our eyes off him; he began to become our only focus. We wanted to give everything to him. We realized how we had hurt him and sinned while he lived in us. We wanted to nothing else but him. Jesus, Jesus, our hearts could yearn for nothing else. He will remain the one we seek throughout this fast. Words fail, but the feeling cannot fade. Jesus, Jesus all for Jesus. The pearl of great price.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Before long the world will not see me anymore but you will see me.
Because I live, you also will live.”
John 4:18-19
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17
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