Worship
“Echo Holy” and “Now (Here)” by Red Rocks Worship
This morning is a new day of unlimited mercy and grace for you and all your heart is traversing. Is your heart all-consumed with the wonder and awe of Jesus, or do you feel tossed to and fro? I can guarantee that there’s a battle for our attention and affections in this hour. Where is your gaze today? What’s consuming your heart? Let this worship set minister and reset your focus on the One deserving of a consumed life of and for Him and Him alone.
Scripture
“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” -Daniel 12:3 (ESV)
The Divine Purpose of Stars
Daniel 12 is a prophetic account of the last days that coincides with Matthew 24. But set in verse 3 is this glorious vision and invitation for His Bride. God’s people, like stars, are radiating light into a very dark world. They are the ones who help people find their way in darkness. Out of the overflow of their hearts their mouths speak wisdom and hope to a dying and desperate world. We are perfectly suited for this time in history, those of you positioned in worship and surrender. Your light will shine in darkness!
I was taken back to Genesis to read the account of when God created the stars:
“Then God said, ‘Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years; and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth’; and it was so, [just as He commanded]. God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens]. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth, to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.” -Genesis 1:14-19, AMP, emphasis added
Understanding Our Celestial Calling
There was a purpose in the breath of God creating the stars—it wasn’t to just fill space and make the sky sparkly. They became signs for God’s people for the first coming of Jesus and signs of times to come—like in Joel 3:14-16—before Jesus returns. Interesting to find God’s invitation wrapped in the words of Daniel to the Bride who was yet to be born. But the description in Genesis are also quite parallel to our calling here on earth: providing light upon the earth, ruling over and separating darkness from light and only sustained by God Himself! But according to Daniel 12:3, this also has an eternal purpose and significance.
National Geographic states that “Stars are huge celestial bodies made mostly of hydrogen and helium that produce light and heat from the churning nuclear forges inside their cores. … They are the building blocks of galaxies, of which there are billions in the universe. It’s impossible to know how many stars exist, but astronomers estimate that in our Milky Way galaxy alone, there are about 300 billion.”
We are the building blocks of nations, societies, families, gospel movements, and the Kingdom of God! (And do you know that 3.2 billion people have yet to hear the name Jesus?) Within each believer is our churning nuclear center—Christ in us the hope of glory! Out of our lives of worship and surrender comes this pulsating light and heat of His presence and His glory for all to see! In fact, we are invited to speak wisdom and live in a way that leads many to righteousness. The promise in Daniel 12 is for eternity; it’s not a short lived spot light here on earth. This promise won’t fade or grow dim. It endures, and we get to invest our lives in the very thing that will last forever and ever!
So what does this invitation practically look like for us as the King’s daughters, who are learning to walk as daughters, live out of a passion for Jesus, and carry His heart for the world? It looks like women who have come alive and are living out of this place of worship and surrender for the One who held nothing back for her. It looks like a daughter who knows the love letter written for her, not on tablets of stone but on her human heart. It looks like out of the overflow of her heart, her mouth speaks wisdom and brings life to directionless, hopeless, and hurting people. She knows how to walk because she follows the nail-pierced feet in front of her. He is her guide, and the Light that lives in her gives a path to those who follow her. Her lamp is filled with oil, and she’s looking for other women who don’t have their lamps yet filled. She will be distinguished in this culture of darkness, spoken of before the great cloud of witnesses, and honored for all of eternity. She is breaking loose and shaking off the things that entangle her and keep her from running whole heartedly after the One her heart longs for. The passions of the world are growing dim, and intimacy and the fire of passion in her bones for Jesus are increasing. She is wise in spiritual things, instructed in the Word, and sees the crowds with the same compassion Jesus had. When Scripture says “He was moved (Matthew 9:36, AMP)” when he saw the people, she too lives from Heaven’s perspective. Her leadership will require faith-filled, risk-taking movement. She’s arising in this hour with the declaration written across her life: FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST.
It’s not a passive thing to lead many to righteousness. It’s intended to be a characteristic of every Christ-follower, and I pray that even as you are reading these words, you long for that to overflow out of your life. Will you live as one who’s pulsating light attracts scores of people to Christ in you? Perhaps you are sick or stuck inside, and you feel limited to leading. Let me remind you of the power of a praying woman—she moves nations and brings prodigals home. The harvest is contingent on women who will pray this in now!
Remember the Samaritan woman who came to get water and encountered Jesus in the middle of the day? She ran back and her whole village heard about Jesus. Remember Lydia, the first convert of Europe who started a church out of her home in Philippi? Their lives, consumed by Jesus, lead others to encounter Him, and therefore brought forth great impact in the lives of others that reached villages and regions!
Our Response Today
“Now, Daniel’s vision promises that the faithful shall shine like those stars—beautiful—dependable—useful—eternal. People would admire them. They would learn to guide by the light of their faithful mentors. Faithful people would bless all those who observed their lives, just as we are all blessed by the lights that God has placed in the sky. Surely with this verse in mind, Jesus concluded his Parable of the Weeds by saying: ‘Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father’ (Matthew 13:43).”
-Richard Niell Donovan, commentary on Daniel 12:1-3
These are days where we need the wisdom of Scripture and the words of the Holy Spirit deeply deposited inside of us. These are days that we must know the path that we are to walk on in these days of accelerated darkness. The Lord is looking for His Bride to arise and lead many, many, many to righteousness. This matters for all of eternity! This is Christ’s supreme task that He would have us all engage in. His promise is a glorious reward for all of eternity. Let the wonder of Daniel 12:3 captivate your mind and spirit, that your heart would be set ablaze in passion for the gospel to be ever on your lips. Dear ones, it’s time to lead many to righteousness!
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.” -Isaiah 60:1-2 (ESV)
A Few Key Notes
Sisters, I want to put something before you that has been on my heart since January 2020 as we began our monthlong pursuit of intentionality and surrender. We will be heading back in to the secret place with Jesus for the entire month of September. Will you join me? Will you invite others to come with us? This will be a critical month of worship, communion, intimacy, prayer and encounter.
Our first stateside Arise short-term team is heading out Oct. 16-21 to Austin. We can take 16 women with us! Fill out this application to sign up.
Our last Arise Bible Study for the summer will take place at 10 a.m. CST this Friday, August 21. Prayer together starts at 9:30 a.m. if you want to join other women to pray together beforehand.
Link: https://zoom.us/j/2410161101?pwd=ak9qaWFsTE4vaHNIRWJUZUNnTGYwZz09
Meeting ID: 241 016 1101
Password: 072485
