“A new day will soon dawn over the whole earth. It is a day of healing, reconciliation and restoration. It will heal every wound and reconcile everyone to their Creator and to one another. Ultimately, it will restore the earth to the Paradise it was originally created to be.”
Army of the Dawn, by Rick Joyner
When I started to wake up before the dawn everyday for a period of over three months in the beginning of 2018, I knew God was trying to teach me something. Initially, I would wake up and try go back to sleep, but when it became apparent that I was consistently waking up between 3-6 every morning, I knew there must be something more. I remembered a word given from Jerusalem in around 2016, that God was going to wake people up to pray and worship during the dawn watch. I decided to begin my day reading and singing from the Psalms out of my recently acquired Passion Translation Bible. Starting from Psalm 107, one of my favourite psalms, I began to worship God through these amazing texts, written by David and other true lovers of God. I was amazed at how specifically God began to speak. Two of the very first Psalms that I read soon became a life song for me and confirmation of the season God had called me to. Changing my sleep schedule to fit was a miracle in itself!
"My heart, O God, is quiet and confident, all because of you. Now I can sing my song with passionate praises! Awake, O my soul, with the music of his splendor. Arise, my soul, and sing his praises! I will awaken the dawn with my worship, greeting the daybreak with my songs of light. Wherever I go I will thank you. All the nations will hear my praise songs to you." Psalm 108:1-3
"Your people will be your love offerings, In the day of your mighty power you will be exalted, and in the brightness of your holy ones you will shine as an army arising from the womb of the dawn, anointed with the dew of your youth!" Psalm 110:3
During my dawn shifts, I worshiped along with songs from my developing playlist, which included the new albums Reckless Love, More and a soaking track by Misty Edwards.
Her words, "The song in the night will awaken the dawn" spoke deeply to my soul, as did this song by Cory Asbury - my favorite through all my morning prayer shifts.
Waking up between 3-6am was not my typical cup of tea, but I wouldn't have traded this intimate time with the Lord for anything, and if God could turn me into a morning person, then anything is possible! I believe that in this hour, God is calling all of us to wake up and arise from our spiritual slumber. Is this not the hour of our visitation?
"Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5:14
It is a time to be spiritually watchful and awake to all that God is doing in this hour in history.
When I arrived in Toronto, in 2018,
I greeted the sunrise my first few days, peering through the window at a cold April sky. I had finally arrived in Canada. It was the beginning of a new season in my life, and almost immediately my normal sleep schedule returned.
A new day had dawned in my life, and God was guiding every step. After hearing Cindy Jacobs in person at her Toronto Breakthrough event, we were encouraged to join her on a month long devotion through Psalm 139. I was amazed and delighted at how specific this passage was to my own personal journey! Only God?!
3–4 You are so intimately aware of me, Lord.
You read my heart like an open book
and you know all the words I’m about to speak
before I even start a sentence!
You know every step I will take before my journey even begins.
5 You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way,
and in kindness you follow behind me
to spare me from the harm of my past.
With your hand of love upon my life,
you impart a blessing to me. Psalm 139 TPT
"Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139 NIV
How amazing that God knows each one of us so intimately. He had literally gone into my future and prepared the way. Not only had I risen on the wings of the dawn, but He had settled me at the far side of the sea. The promise I clung to as I started my journey in Canada was that even here His hand would guide me...
My Heavenly Father lead me on a journey I could never have imagined. This included the prophetic destiny of a nation and the epic tale of Canadian history. In just under two years, he lead me on a journey from sea to sea, and at the end of this brilliant adventure, He connected me with an incredible international family that I believe I was destined to be part of. Not only was the prophetic word that was given in Jerusalem given by one of the pastors from this church, a spiritual father in Canada, but ever since it was proclaimed, the Lord had lead this incredible family of believers to faithfully pray almost every morning during the dawn watch.
It was like coming home. Who would have thought, that as I prayed and worshiped in the early hours of a Zimbabwean summer morning, that one day I would join these prayer warriors in their intercession during a prayer watch called, Awaken the Dawn! I was totally blown away.
The Church of Zion opened up their hearts to me and adopted me into their loving family. On a very hard and personal homecoming journey, how good is God that He would graft me into a global family, whose gatherings of repentance, healing and reconciliation, are changing nations, with the first gatherings outside of Canada called none other than - Homecoming!
Vancouver has been nicknamed Hong-couver, and I couldn't have imagined a better introduction to this Canadian demographic than through joining these international watchmen. With prayer vigils in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, I was so blessed by this Asian majority church family, and their incredible passion and love for the Lord. Their heart was so clear - church is all about family, and what a wonderful family they are. A family who stand with some of the most faithful and persecuted Christians in this hour, our Chinese family.
I found my home among the many amazing intercessors who have prayed faithfully throughout the years for Canada and the nations. Entering the new year with this global family was very significant for me. What special gatherings to be part of, including 12.12 Behold.
I love how God speaks, leads and confirms His will. I was truly back in the Vancouver area for such a time as this. Joining BC Oneheart and digging revival wells in Vancouver with new friends, and old (two wonderful intercessors, who I had met at my very first Battle For Canada gathering), I was filled with gratitude and joy.
Another special experience in Vancouver was meeting a couple who I had prayed for since 2015. This incredible missionary couple had served in China, when they were falsely accused, arrested and put into prison. During this time, Kevin would often spend time with the Lord between 3-6am.
It is not often that you get to meet the answer to your prayers, and meeting Kevin and Julia was such an encouragement to the reason why we pray. As Kevin shared his testimony, he started by emphasizing that it was not the politicians that got him out of prison, but the prayers of the saints.
I never could have imagined that one day I would get a signed copy of the book of a couple who I had been lead to pray for many miles away. Our prayers are not in vain! See More
How many Christians are in prison in "closed" and hostile nations, and what are we in the free world doing to help? This is an hour in history in which great darkness appears to be triumphing, and yet there is a great light that no one can put out. During my first weekend in Canada, which I spent in Toronto at a conference, Light the Fire Again, I found a treasure.
As I skimmed through the speakers who had come up for this historic gathering, I came across the title of a book that made my heart leap: The Army of the Dawn.
"...they will be more at home in heaven than on earth, and they will be witnesses to principalities and powers. They are now beginning to awaken and will soon begin marching to the last battle that is just beginning to unfold. This army has been seen to some degree by every prophet to walk with the Lord... These only know their hearts are burning for something more, and the fire won't go out. They will soon find and become a part of what their hearts are burning for... everyone on the earth must choose sides. There will be no neutral countries and be no neutral people... This is the time when the greatest light, the glory of the Lord, will be revealed."
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60:1-3
There is a spiritual army arising from the womb of the dawn (Psalm 110).
Who will volunteer in the day of battle?
Will you?
Comments