Years ago, my husband Scott and I flew to a city fifteen hundred miles from home to experience a special prophetic gathering for the first time. Three people recognized as prophets would be ministering to the candidates chosen by the pastor and elders of the church. All of us had prepared with prayer and fasting.
I approached the platform nervously, Scott at my side. We took our seats facing the rest of the congregation. The prophets stood to the side of the platform. As the Holy Spirit prompted them, they took turns sharing what God was giving them, mic in hand.
I’d resisted the idea of moving away from the town we lived in because I liked the geographical area so much. The Lord had already gently convicted me about my misplaced priorities of loving a place more than I loved him. I guessed he would ask us to move to this city.
When the first prophet spoke, he confirmed, “The word of the Lord to you is that you have a family here you can’t get away from.” God was calling us to move to a church which became our spiritual boot camp in many ways, specifically in developing the gift of prophecy.
The prophet also saw a teaching mantle on me. He perceived me teaching biblically based principles of marriage, home life and kingdom life to couples. Another prophet saw Scott and I ministering to couples stressed out by parenting.
Those words were fulfilled in various ways over time. One year at our church’s family camp, three men came to Scott independently of one another, asking him for parenting advice because of good things they saw in our family. Twenty-five years after receiving this prophecy, I developed a parenting seminar and taught it at several churches.
This prophet also perceived certain people speaking poorly of our marriage, even voicing it would not last. He said God would silence these detractors and work in our marriage in a way that would draw others to us for help with their own relationships.
A man from our small home church sat in the second row as the prophets spoke these words. Charlie had spoken negatively about our marriage to our face as well as behind our backs. God comforted and vindicated us through a prophet—and our marriage has lasted forty years.
I’m only offering a few snippets from our fifteen-minute sitting that evening. The prophetic messages included specific areas of our personalities and issues with which we struggled.
The prophets’ words shed light on areas of ministry for each of us and for us as a couple, calling out gifts and abilities we didn’t even know existed. They offered practical insight regarding areas like future employment as well.
Scott and I gained strength, encouragement, and comfort. We received specific direction and guidance. God’s loving, personal concern for us was undeniable. Our spirits resonated with the words we eagerly received, recorded, and kept over the years.
Over the years, in subsequent prophetic presbytery meetings, we gained more Spirit-inspired insight appropriate for various seasons in our lives. Specific ministry assignments, revelation concerning how God wired us, and even healing from significant emotional wounds came through the ministry of seasoned, recognized prophets.
From time to time, I review the file of prophetic words transcribed from recordings of such meetings, marveling at many fulfillments as well as ongoing application, even decades down the road. These messages confirm we’re on the right track. They bring clarity when our journey takes a bend.
Best of all, they offer a deep-seated assurance of God’s careful, loving attention to the details of our lives.
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This post is an excerpt from my book AVAILABLE NOW: Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church.
Photo by Diego Jimenez on Unsplash
