Wednesday, June 10, 2009

I had this dream quite a few months ago. But when I was in prayer
today, I was reminded of the dream and got an interpretation as well.
I thought you might all like to hear it.



I was at IHOP and they had a medical unit outside of where the prayer
room was. I was working as a nurse and when workers took breaks they
went into the prayer room for a time of refreshing. Many patients, but
not all got healed. In fact, this medical unit was for those that did
not get healing. I almost had the feeling that this fact was more
based on the medical staff than the patients themselves. I started to
feel like I was getting burnt out. I recognized that I was not only
providing medical care for my patients but was also praying for them.
I started to feel like I was praying more for them when I was too
tired to provide a medical service-my backup became prayer and was
seldom productive. I went to Mike Bickle's office to tell him that I
didn't think that I was supposed to be there anymore. He asked me
"when was the last time you were in the prayer room?" I told him that
I had never been in the prayer room before. He then told me that it
didn't matter what else needed to be done....I had to go into the
prayer room-it wasn't an option anymore. I remember walking into the
back of the prayer room. There were people lined up against the back
wall and there were a couple of wall supports in the middle of the
room. I remembered music and there were people dancing. I remember
feeling awkward when I walked in and it was unfamiliar....then I woke
up.


Interpretation:

This is what I feel the interpretation is. I think that the medical
unit and me being a nurse in the dream, was just God speaking to me in
my own language. But I think the medical unit and even my job was just
a representation of the church as a whole. There are a lot of "Works"
and even "Good Works" and there are a lot of people "qualified"
according to earthly standards to perform these works.

There were those workers who recognized that they prayer room was a
place for refreshing and used it often. But then there were also those
that did not use it (like myself in the dream). They recognize prayer
but only use it when they don't feel as though they can physically do
it anymore-and prayer is more of the "backup" plan.

In the dream I went to Mike Bickle-recognizing him as the leader of
IHOP but also a leader in the prayer movement. I expressed my concern
that I didn't think that prayer was the right place for me to be in
because it wasn't working anymore and I was just too tired. I feel
that this represents the church trying to do "Prayer" in their own
strength and also doing it while they feel it is "working" but as soon
as it they get tired and they stop seeing the results that they
expect-they decide that maybe the place of prayer isn't where they
belong-thinking, that doing the works outside of the place of prayer
is much easier.

Mike Bickle asked me when the last time that I had been in the prayer
room. After stating that I had never been there before he immediately
expressed not only the great need for it-but I was at the point where
it wasn't an option anymore. I feel that the church is in great need
of refreshing and that refreshing is in the prayer room. Just as I
felt the feelings of awkwardness and unfamiliarity, the prayer room is
a place of unfamiliarity. It is easy to turn around and walk out of
that place, quickly forgetting the purpose of it.

I feel as though this is a word for the church. The place of prayer is
unfamiliar, it is awkward, However, it is also the source of
refreshing we are looking for. This refreshing is not in the form we
expect or even desire it. I believe that to truly enter the place of
refreshing, life as we know it has to cease. It is not that we stop
doing the work that God has called us to, but when we have our
"breaks" we head to the prayer room for the refreshing that we need.

Also, prayer needs to not be the "back-up" plan anymore. I feel that
often times we try to do everything that we can in our own strength.
We do what we know to do, first. As soon as we get to the end our
ourselves, it is almost as if we say "well I guess I can try prayer
now," not fully believing or trusting in the power of it and its
purpose. I feel as though God is calling the church back to prayer
being at the foundation of everything we do-not just a decoration on
top of what we have built with our own hands. Paul commends us in
Philippians 4:6 "Don't worry about anything, but in everything,
through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God." But in everything, THROUGH prayer.

We need to get back to the place where everything comes THROUGH prayer.