Music

Do you ever hear music when you’re sleeping? I’m not entirely sure why I hear songs and instruments. Sometimes they are made up and in other cases they are songs I recognize but the new ones are so interesting. I heard a few songs while I was sleeping, all new to me, nothing I know from natural life. I had some dreams that I didn’t understand too.

I found myself walking and seeing the logo of my school along the path. I finally got to a kitchen and the cook was wearing a sweatshirt and hat and had a coffee mug with the school logo. I found myself to be a delivery guy and I tried to give him the food I had brought. He looked at it and said this is the same thing they sent last time, and he held up a bunch of biscuits on a rope. I told him I would take it back because it seemed like he was refusing it. But he talked around the issue and soon it all became popsicles and everyone was sharing the boxes around the room. So I went back to the truck and my boss was out there. He walked with me towards the truck and told me something I don’t remember. Then he and a woman jumped into a new kind of vehicle, it was like an old Scout, it was a 4 wheel drive convertible.

Don’t get me to lying, I didn’t understand this at all. But I am getting close to finishing school and thinking about what’s next. I’m sure that somewhere in there is my new career. I want to bring something to my next job that doesn’t seem valuable to me now, but they will recognize its value after a short time. I will be led in a creative new direction but it will be like something older that has come before. I will be some kind of lookout and help people see what’s coming. So there’s some good stuff in there but no real details. The Lord has sealed His instructions but I will have to be patient to figure out what they are as they happen.

Ok now let’s look into the Bible and see if we can find Jesus in 2 Chronicles. We see a cycle in this section of the Bible when Israel falls away and returns to God over and over again based on who the king is. I think we can see Jesus in just that simple cycle. When the leader of the people is focused on God and does his best to follow God, the nation straightens out. Revival is a leadership issue even today. Jesus is the ultimate King who leads His people continually into Godliness forever.

When we follow Jesus and focus on following God through Him, we see some things happening. Israel would start by tearing down the idols, poles, alters and so on of the other gods. This reminds me of the Welsh revival when they shut down sports and bars and even laid off the police force for a couple of years. People gave up drinking and cussing and crime and just worked and did what was right. The defund the police movement should take notes. This was one of the only times and places in modern history that just didn’t need police and it was all done by righteousness not by protest.

After removing the gods and turning to God or repentance there were more steps. Israel would begin to celebrate the feasts again. These were ordered in the law as a means of prophesying the coming of the Messiah as well as bringing the joy of the Lord to the nation on a regular basis. They would celebrate the things of God. We see this in times of revival as well. We see people begin going to church, meeting together throughout the week, doing good deeds in the community and growing spiritually. It reminds me of the original Salvation Army. They got together and organized to attack the problems of their community. Where ever there was suffering, they would fight it.

The next step in the process that Israel would go through over and over was to repair or rebuild the temple to God. The temple was symbolic in every way. I don’t know all of the details and I doubt anyone has a full understanding of how it points to heaven, God’s throne, God’s mercy, Jesus, God’s people and His ways but many people have studied it and there’s some amazing stuff in that. In a time of revival we see God’s ways and power glorified. We see Jesus lifted up in society. We see His people wanting to do His stuff and build each other up. We see Bible study and prophecy, prayer and right living, worship and singing all happening as His people seek Him in every way.

We are in a time of falling away but I believe there will be one more great time of renewal and I believe it will come in the next year. In fact I think it has already begun! May the Lord lead our world to repent, to celebrate God and to build His house in the earth! May we be a temple of living stones all indwelled by the living God! May the Lord set each of our hearts on Him. Today’s reading was from 2 Chronicles 23- 35 I hope you have a chance to read along. May the Lord bring you into His presence and fill you with His Holy Spirit and may God bless all y’all.