When God Moves, by Karen A Roth

“WHEN GOD MOVES” by Karen A Roth

      When God moves, there’s always a sequence that may be visible to those searching for it … those ‘awakened’ and awaiting its dawn. Like the prophet Daniel, some people become a bridge that connects to the next move of God in the earth.

     Daniel went into Jewish captivity when he was sixteen. He is chosen by the king to learn the language, government, and culture of Babylon, and eventually became a governor. Reading Jeremiah’s prophecy that Israel would remain in Babylonian captivity for seventy years stirred him with prayerful excitement. He counts the years and feels it’s about to happen—but he desires to know and prays.

      Phase one of a move of God begins with the awakening of ‘key players’ with a Word of Faith. (Because of Daniel’s prayer, he received a Word of understanding from the angel Gabriel.) Those with a desire to participate in a move of God—pray. Those awakened also participate when God moves.

= GOD AWAKENS KEY PLAYERS

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!  ~2 CHRONICLES 36:22-23

     In the Book of Ezra, it’s recorded that the mighty hand of God moved upon a key player. God called King Cyrus of Persia to build a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. It marks the beginning of the ‘seventy weeks’ foretold by the prophet Daniel.

     God called Zerubbabel to lead the first return to rebuild the temple “with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the LORD ….”

     Likewise, Ezra, became another key player called by God to lead the second return. He worked to rebuild the inner house—and the spiritual hearts of those returning from exile. 

= PLAYERS AWAIT GOD’S TIMING

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.  And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” ~NEHEMIAH 1:1-3

     Nehemiah’s brother, Hanani visits and shares the appalling conditions the Jews suffered at Jerusalem. Israel had no hope of improving while its wall is rubble and the gates are burned.

     The news devastated him. “So it was, when I heard these words that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”  He grieved that his family would remain vulnerable and unprotected from the enemy.

     According to Bible commentators, Nehemiah connected his writings to that of Ezra because he was a layman. Not that his status as cupbearer would minimize the importance of his work, but rather, adding it to Ezra’s record as High Priest ensured that it would be remembered in Israel’s history. Like Ezra, “Nehemiah was a man of faith and prayer and zealously dedicated to the Lord’s work.” 

     Nehemiah was called/awakened to be a key player. He led the third and last return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. His exploits portray the ‘Move of God’ as a work-in-progress for us to emulate in our present day as we seek the transition into the Kingdom of God as the Body of Christ.

= PLAYERS AWAIT GOD’S TIMING

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. ~NEHEMIAH 1:4

     The first words of the book of Nehemiah gave his credentials—he’s the ‘son’ of a father and in proper order to be administrator of a vision. A father not only works towards advancing the well-being of the children of Israel, but also desires to reconnect the generations.

      Nehemiah heard his brother’s testimony as a Word from God—a problem to solve. Hanani spoke about the conditions—something that just happened to their family makes it very personal to Nehemiah. His genuine concern expressed itself in prayer and fasting, seeking God for how he could help. As he prayed, he defined Israel’s condition: they are scattered because of their unfaithfulness. But he also understood that if they repented, God would once again raise up a wall to protect His people. 

     The prayer spoke of their disobedience and reminded God of His promise of faithfulness if they return to Him. He lays God’s Word/Promise before God like an attorney in the courtroom.  He prayed relentlessly day and night.

= AWAKE, MY SOUL      

“Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.”  ~PSALM 57:8

     The soul is incapable of natural sleep. But it can be unaware/unconcerned/indifferent of spiritual things. It’s the VOICE of God that awakens the soul of man. God speaks to man’s soul, and he ‘senses’ it as divine. That’s what happened to Nehemiah when he heard the testimony of his brother Hanani.

     Awakened, he becomes consciously aware of what’s happening and more importantly—what he could do. His desire for the well-being of Israel helped to interpret what he could do with what he heard. He used his ability and gifting—what he was trained to do.

     Grace no longer remained dormant or inoperative in him once it stirred up his identity and purpose. His purpose from God let him hear something that no one else heard. God stirred Nehemiah’s ability and he envisioned what he could do to fulfill God’s purpose through him.

= WORD OF FAITH

O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.  ~NEHEMIAH 1:11

     Nehemiah didn’t pray because he felt sorry for himself, nor was he angry with God. He believed God awakened him, and like Isaiah, he “heard the voice of the Lord …and said, ‘Here am I; send me’”  He wanted to be used of God—to participate in what happened.

     He believed God spoke to him—what the New Testament Church would call a Word of Faith. Therefore, he didn’t make plans with his brother Hanani to make something happen. He’s a man under authority. Nehemiah anticipated that God would use him and waited for the right moment to speak to the king. He also included prayer partners—similar to Esther asking Mordecai to gather prayer warriors and fast for her.

     The Hebrew “day” in the above scripture can also mean a period of time. It’s been four months since he first heard the testimony of Hanani and at this time, they are still seeking God. It consumed Nehemiah’s thoughts day and night.

     Today—we “pray for the awakening of the Spiritual Tabernacle of God in the Earth.” We sense something is happening and desire to be used by God in what is happening. The Book of Nehemiah lays out a plan for us to be prepared and to participate WHEN GOD MOVES.

        ______________________________________________________________________

Karen Roth is the wife of Dr. Roger Roth Sr., and a ministry son of Dr. Mark Hanby. They are the set ministry of a local church in Northeastern Wisconsin; and oversee the Bloodline Network Newsletter. They consider it an honor to work with Dr. Hanby for many years, helping to oversee the ministry of Papa Mark’s extended family—”The Father’s Heart.”

            Any questions or comments please contact them at rogerandkaren@live.com