”Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.“ Song of Songs 2:12
One evening while on a walk with my wife Suzanne and our baby daughter Zoe, Suzanne pointed to a dove resting and cooing in a tree that was blooming. As the dove was flying away I was able to capture a photograph of it in mid-flight.
Earlier in the day, I found myself praying with pastors and intercessors from Toronto. These brothers and sisters were originally from southern India. They were on a pilgrimage to Wilmore and other sites of revival and outpourings of the Holy Spirit as they continue in prayer for revival and awakening in their city and across North America. As they traveled north from Pensacola, Florida they noticed that the lush green bluegrass of central Kentucky exhibited the first signs of life in their winter travel from Canada to Florida and back. Before the group left Wilmore, they invited me to join them for a “covenant meal” at the table of a nearby restaurant to give thanks to God for our sweet time together in the fellowship of the Spirit.
During our time together, I was reminded of the early Methodist circuit riders who were used by the Lord as catalysts of revival and awakening. These circuit riders were expectant that wherever the Spirit of Jesus brought them, that He was present to teach, preach, and heal with power. They were expectant that the Spirit would be poured out in power and love. And the people who came to those early Methodist gatherings were expectant to encounter the power and presence of Yahweh.
This also reminds me of our fellowship with Inspire as people come into our gatherings expectant to meet with Jesus. The evening before our dove-sighting, we had a sweet time in house fellowship as Jesus led us in the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs from our hearts unto Him. We sang song after song led extemporaneously by various brothers and sisters in our fellowship. In “The Character of a Methodist,” John Wesley said that “Methodists are people who have the love of God in their hearts. This is a gift of God’s Holy Spirit. And the same Spirit causes Methodists to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, with all their souls, with all their minds, with all their strength.”
When we are a people who are scriptural Christians, the signs of life are seen and heard wherever Jesus takes us. Sometimes we need the Lord to take us on a special pilgrimage for his purposes and plans as He imparts more of Himself to us. But ultimately, we are called to be a people, like those early Methodists “whose hearts are set on pilgrimage” each and every moment of every day, such that everyone we meet, even those in the lowest “Valley of Baka” will experience springs of living water welling up in their soul and a fresh outpouring of rain from the windows of heaven to cover the driest valley with pools of living water (Psalm 84:5-6). And where there is living water flowing, there will be beautiful signs of life to see, there will be sweet singing to the Lord from our hearts, and the pleasant sound of the cooing of doves will be heard in our land as Jesus makes all things new!
Holy Spirit, we give you thanks that You have come in power to convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment that all people might see our Father God rightly in the perfect image of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, thank you for pouring out the Spirit on all flesh that we can know You and know Your tender father’s heart because You have shed Your love abroad in our hearts.
Thank you Jesus for inviting us to come away with You, to smell the sweet fragrance of Your presence, to see and hear signs of life all around us, to taste your goodness at the table of fellowship, and to sense the fresh rushing wind of Your Spirit on our faces as we soar with You, our crucified, risen, and exalted Lord!
Amen.
Chance and Suzanne are Inspire Missioners based in Wilmore, KY, USA.
