As we go through this time of being drawn aside and learning in difficult situations, it is vitally important that we are seeking the Lord for His will. It is also essential for us to know what season we are in, what it involves, why it is needed, and how to navigate it successfully.
God usually doesn’t give the whole plan or strategy all at once. It often is given in steps, and if you follow the first step, he then gives you the next. The first step is to get the first step.
The Lord has impressed on me several times that the era we are entering into is not like any other time or season, and therefore we need to seek Him every step of the way. We can’t presume that what worked in the last season will work in this one, or that we can just do what seems right.
The passage of scripture that the Holy Spirit showed me concerning inquiring of the Lord for this season is the story of David returning the Ark of God’s Presence found in First Chronicles chapters 13-15. There are some lessons in this story that we need to be reminded of for this time.
In chapter 13, David was planning to bring the ark to his house. So, he inquired of the people and sought counsel with leaders.
“And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. (3) … let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul. (4) And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.”1 Chronicles 13:1, 3-4 KJV
Many times, when we are facing changes, we seek the counsel of many, which is good, but ultimately, we must obey God and not what pleases man or seems “right in the eyes of all the people.” In the scriptures above, we see that David inquired of man first rather than God. He should have asked God first and then told the people what God wanted to do rather than doing what seemed right, expecting God to bless it.
In witnessing Uzza’s death, the fear of the Lord was instilled in David, and rightly so. The result of doing what seems right to all the people was the death of Uzza and putting aside God’s presence.
In chapter 14, the Philistines were trying to move in and take over, and as David was faced with the threat of war, his lesson on learning to fear God; propelled him to now seek God. In this chapter, David learned to seek and obey God.
Not only did David learn to reverence God, but he also humbled himself to ask for God’s will concerning his forthcoming battles. As a result, God not only answered David; he gave David His strategy to defeat the Philistines. In this season, as we reverence God to seek His will for the next phase of our life in Him, He will give us the exact strategy to execute victory and walk triumphantly!
David knew he was wrong in the first attempt to move the ark. He then learned through conflicts with the Philistines how to seek and obey the Lord.
In chapter 15, David states that his mistake in trying to return the ark was that he didn’t inquire of the Lord for the proper order. He then tells the people what to do, which was to sanctify themselves because the presence of God is to be carried on the shoulders of priestly authority. Worship was to accompany the return of the Lord’s presence, and in addition to sanctification and worship, sacrificial offerings were to be made every six steps.
The return of God’s presence to the house of David was a time of transition. Today, we are in a time of change as well. We are a royal priesthood with authority received as an inheritance through the blood of Jesus to carry the presence of God.
So that we don’t cause death or put aside God’s presence, we will need to stop and make sacrifices of prayer and worship at every step, just as David did. And we will need to make adjustments as the Lord instructs.
I sense that how we inquire of the Lord in this season will be unlike anything we have done before. Teamwork will be a key to getting the whole picture and being accurate in the interpretation. I am seeing regional teams that seek the Lord. These teams are a variety of spiritual gifts coming together to inquire, discern, disseminate, and carry out Kingdom plans and strategies from the throne room of Heaven for their specific region. Some things that work in one region may not work in another.
We need the views of the different gifts because we only see in part. When you see from all perspectives, from intercessors to Apostles, you get the complete picture and interpretation.
If we inquire of the Lord, and obey His instructions, we will transition through this season safely, fulfilling God’s plans for this time.
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