Revival Scrimmage 2004
“Note: I believe this dream is a warning to cause us to more carefully and reverently handle what the Lord is birthing forth in this hour.”
I watched a baby being born. Saw it come out of the womb and immediately I saw a pair of hands swoop into my view and take the baby. My eyes staid with the baby, a man’s’ hands were wrapping the baby up in swaddling clothes, and the hands kept wrapping the baby…really tight. I observed the hands as they covered the head and everything with this swaddling cloth, until the babe was completely covered head to toe; it resembled the shape of an American football.
Why? I pondered, my mama bear heart was beating now and wondered what was going on yet I felt that I was only there to watch, observe, pay attention and learn.
The hands that had grabbed the baby belonged to a pastor. He showed the wrapped up baby to other pastors that were on a small informal grassy field, like you would find at a park, not a school or stadium….It wasn’t a real contest. When he lifted the baby up it looked like a football wrapped up in white cloth, when he displayed the “football” all the other players (pastors only)on this field were pretty stoked that they finally had something to play with again. The other players had been sitting there waiting for “another ball”. They had played before and somehow they “lost” the ball and had been waiting for another one, so now you could see they were pretty happy to have something to play with.
They got off the bench where they had been sitting and waiting and one of the fellas started calling out plays and all the other players just listened to him without question. He didn’t have more authority than anyone else there…they were all pastors. There was this assumption that he “must know” what he is doing because he’d been in this game so many times before, he was always lifting his head above the other players. I thought this to be very interesting because the “The Coach” was standing behind my right shoulder and no one looked to him for instruction, counsel or direction. They just listened to this assumed captain on the field.
I noticed there were no spectators and this seemed right. I felt like everyone that came would be involved and it wasn’t to be a game either, it supposed to be a field of contest….where was the contest…what were they contesting for?
I watched them play, kicking and throwing, tackling and running with this little bundle that I am still horrified to know there’s a baby in the wrappings, how can they not know this? The baby was not to be used in this way; it’s alive and needs care, by every single believer’s obedient and necessary involvement, being made One with the “The Coach” and therefore One with each other. Why wasn’t the body invited to join. I want to run onto the field and take this fragile life and nurture and nurse and watch over this little one. I am restrained by “The Coach”, He is causing me to stay put and watch. His heart is not panicking like mine is. I can feel resolute Peace in His heart, He is also waiting to see if any will turn to Him and ask Him what to do. Not one does.
I was curious as to what the point of this game was, there was no other team, no prize, no other “players” but pastors, no other counsel but their own and in that, the assumption that this one guy had all the strategies. Where were the prophets and teachers and evangelists...The Body? Where’s the Body of Christ? There weren’t strategies to win, only ideas to keep the ball in play and keep the action going. Why were they not huddled to the “Coach” to get a plan of action, why were they not inquiring of him. I got the sense just standing next to Him that He was an incredible coach, but His counsel was not requested, the only looks He got were of smiling faces of men that looked up, not even for approval, but to show how much fun they were having. Yet, only “The Coach” knows who to put in for, His strategies for victory, many times it isn’t whom we presume, He’ll use the young, old, tender, fragile, inappropriate and most times the “least likely” to accomplish His plans, so all eyes must be on “The Coach”. We suffer incredible lack of effectiveness because of our presumptions.
I watched achingly as I could see the “football” becoming red, they are killing this baby, I am restrained by “The Coach” and just when I think my heart is going to burst from the ache and restraint. I hear the disappointed groan from the men on the field. The red cloth is now a hollow shell, the baby has been taken. I felt “Coach” did this. I am so relieved; these men have no idea the judgment that awaited them had they “killed” this baby their zeal and robust man handling. They were not ready yet.
~end of dream~
These men may not have known that the baby is “Revival”, and if they did know ,suffered from an incredible lack of knowledge of what the cost of nurturing one and the Wisdom, care and Fear of The Lord one needs to yield to in order to truly prefer a life more than your own. His Word is supposed to be the ball in motion, it comes from above…move by move, moment to moment…Rhema; it too is alive and must be handled with care and accuracy, therefore, we must be listening to and watching “The Coach” at all times if we are to prevail. We must be careful not to “manhandle” Revival…WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HIS STRATEGIES ARE. The strategies that played well in one area of the world, on a very different field of contest may not be the strategies that work on this field. The Lord is “The Coach” and will give step by step instructions on this particular field, for Revival…not with Revival. No one person has all the plays; it isn’t just for pastors either. It’s the Lords and we, His Body, must humbly and willingly yield to His counsel in all matters regarding the strategies for not only keeping this Revival alive but allowing it to grow, flourish and mature.
Help us Lord.