After the teaching on the second night of our church camp, we got into groups to pray over the following 8 spheres of influence - Business & Economics, the Law, Government and Politics, Education, Media (written) and the Arts, Entertainment Industry, Social Welfare & the Community, and Sports. As social justice is a great burden on my heart, I joined the group praying for Social Welfare and the Community. Areas that were covered were family life (this being the fundamental unit of any community - my friend who prayed for this is a social worker), health (my friend who prayed for this is a dietitian who works in a hospital - her heart is to see God perform miracles of healing as why should people feel that God does not care about this area and all they have to depend on are medication and negative reports from their doctors), cancer (the girl who prayed for this is a nurse who works in an oncology clinic and has a real heart to see a cure for cancer being discovered and God delivering people from their painful condition), inner healing, poverty and orphans. I then committed the following areas to God - human trafficking, sex trade, sexual abuse, child abuse, slavery of any kind and the countries where men treat women as second class creatures or even less.
As we prayed, God spoke to me about two things (through impressing these words on my mind and heart) - "Identity" and "Understanding our roles". God desires that we know who we are in Him, who He made us to be. We are precious in His sight and not looked upon as dirt to be trampled on. We may be the size of the dandruff on the head of a super mini micro organism but God has decided to love us and create a wonderful purpose to give us each a meaningful and prosperous future. He chooses to bless us and uphold us, to encourage us and see us mature in our character, and to enjoy and intimate, eternal relationship with Him. Sadly though, many see themselves as garbage because others speak death over them. The enemy deceives us with lie upon lie about our identity and we need to break through this trap to see ourselves through God's eyes. We are not to think ourselves more highly than we ought (God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble) but neither are we to be oppressed and suppressed. We need to have a healthy self image from which we can even begin to serve others freely. We're made in the image of Christ not jellybeans after all. Women and children across the world are told over and over again that they're not worth anything, and the way they are grossly mistreated just sends the message right into the core of their being. But that is not God's plan for them. He does not bring us into this world to be disrespected, violated and crushed. He calls us to lift up our heads and live with dignity. We are God's beloved. His Word is filled with the truth about our identity. The world needs to know the truth.
God intends for us to relax in who we are, to have the freedom to be who He made us. We are not to feel as if we have to be someone else to be accepted or recognised, or meet the needs or expectations of others. Women across the world have been made to feel utterly dis-empowered. Some have risen up to fight back on the inequality and injustice they were made to face but have done so in ways that go against God's intended purpose as well simply because they know no other way. That does not release them ultimately either. As women we should feel free to be beautiful and not have the need to hide our beauty so men will not take advantage of us. I'm not talking about our outward appearance here but the deeper issue of our self image and security though the latter often dictates the former. Women are not made weak and we are certainly not any lesser. We should not have to walk around with an invisible crutch, living at a standard far, far lower than what God has in store for us. He is the giver of ALL good things and His plans and purposes are far greater and more wondrous than what we can ask or comprehend or even imagine for ourselves.
If men understand that they are given the role as the head of the family as a privilege to lead and serve with humility, love and integrity, and that they do not need to use their strength towards abusing others so they feel in control and in a position of power, imagine the change we will see in family life and in turn the society we live in. If they recognise that the decisions they make, the attitudes they display, the words they speak and the actions they show affect themselves, their immediate family AND the whole community for generations to come, and that they get to choose to give life or death, perhaps they will consider these things with more wisdom. But when a father fails to lead in line with God's perfect model (not mould mind you - it is not restricting in any way and is not a stereotype), someone else may need to step in. And sometimes this responsibility is thrust onto the already harassed mother who may drop the ball herself as certain weights are not for her to carry. In God our burden and yoke (responsibilities) are light. If we discover what God's initial picture of a man and woman is and what He had originally designed this world to be like, we will soon see it is nothing like what we witness around us today and is nothing like what we perceive in our minds because our limited vision is tainted by the sin that has wrecked our existence.
God can restore and He is in the 'business of restoration'. He will redeem us. We need to bring His truth to the world - to the men and women (and children) who are crushed in their spirits, who have turned to temporary or worthless things that cannot satisfy or help them. We need to see heads and hearts being lifted up to our loving Father and Creator.
To the nations, I read out this passage:
Isaiah 52
1 Awake, awake, O Zion,
clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your garments of splendor,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
As we prayed, God spoke to me about two things (through impressing these words on my mind and heart) - "Identity" and "Understanding our roles". God desires that we know who we are in Him, who He made us to be. We are precious in His sight and not looked upon as dirt to be trampled on. We may be the size of the dandruff on the head of a super mini micro organism but God has decided to love us and create a wonderful purpose to give us each a meaningful and prosperous future. He chooses to bless us and uphold us, to encourage us and see us mature in our character, and to enjoy and intimate, eternal relationship with Him. Sadly though, many see themselves as garbage because others speak death over them. The enemy deceives us with lie upon lie about our identity and we need to break through this trap to see ourselves through God's eyes. We are not to think ourselves more highly than we ought (God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble) but neither are we to be oppressed and suppressed. We need to have a healthy self image from which we can even begin to serve others freely. We're made in the image of Christ not jellybeans after all. Women and children across the world are told over and over again that they're not worth anything, and the way they are grossly mistreated just sends the message right into the core of their being. But that is not God's plan for them. He does not bring us into this world to be disrespected, violated and crushed. He calls us to lift up our heads and live with dignity. We are God's beloved. His Word is filled with the truth about our identity. The world needs to know the truth.
We each have a unique role to play as well. What I felt God impress upon my heart was for us to realise our intended role as either a man or a woman, and largely as a child of God. Though equal, God created some to be male and others to be female, each with a different set of roles. We function differently though one is not seen as greater in value over the other, as many in this world perceive to be so. The skewed perspective of who we are and what we were created for has led to many feeling unwanted, discarded, broken and restrained. Others have tried to fill the shoes they were never meant to and therefore feel trapped or heavy laden.
God intends for us to relax in who we are, to have the freedom to be who He made us. We are not to feel as if we have to be someone else to be accepted or recognised, or meet the needs or expectations of others. Women across the world have been made to feel utterly dis-empowered. Some have risen up to fight back on the inequality and injustice they were made to face but have done so in ways that go against God's intended purpose as well simply because they know no other way. That does not release them ultimately either. As women we should feel free to be beautiful and not have the need to hide our beauty so men will not take advantage of us. I'm not talking about our outward appearance here but the deeper issue of our self image and security though the latter often dictates the former. Women are not made weak and we are certainly not any lesser. We should not have to walk around with an invisible crutch, living at a standard far, far lower than what God has in store for us. He is the giver of ALL good things and His plans and purposes are far greater and more wondrous than what we can ask or comprehend or even imagine for ourselves.
If men understand that they are given the role as the head of the family as a privilege to lead and serve with humility, love and integrity, and that they do not need to use their strength towards abusing others so they feel in control and in a position of power, imagine the change we will see in family life and in turn the society we live in. If they recognise that the decisions they make, the attitudes they display, the words they speak and the actions they show affect themselves, their immediate family AND the whole community for generations to come, and that they get to choose to give life or death, perhaps they will consider these things with more wisdom. But when a father fails to lead in line with God's perfect model (not mould mind you - it is not restricting in any way and is not a stereotype), someone else may need to step in. And sometimes this responsibility is thrust onto the already harassed mother who may drop the ball herself as certain weights are not for her to carry. In God our burden and yoke (responsibilities) are light. If we discover what God's initial picture of a man and woman is and what He had originally designed this world to be like, we will soon see it is nothing like what we witness around us today and is nothing like what we perceive in our minds because our limited vision is tainted by the sin that has wrecked our existence.
God can restore and He is in the 'business of restoration'. He will redeem us. We need to bring His truth to the world - to the men and women (and children) who are crushed in their spirits, who have turned to temporary or worthless things that cannot satisfy or help them. We need to see heads and hearts being lifted up to our loving Father and Creator.
To the nations, I read out this passage:
Isaiah 52
1 Awake, awake, O Zion,
clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your garments of splendor,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
(In my understanding, "you will not be hurt/shamed again")
2 Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
2 Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
(God has given us the power and keys to free ourselves)
O captive Daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the LORD says:
"You were sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed."
O captive Daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the LORD says:
"You were sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed."
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