Prayer Opens the Door

And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened (Luke 11:9-10 – NLT).

During our early morning prayer meeting this past Tuesday, I received something from the Holy Spirit that I want to share with you. While I was praying in the spirit, I became aware that I was praying about the future and what God had for all of us.

Let me begin by saying that God often speaks in picture form. Joseph had a dream and saw his family bowing before him, showing him that he would be a ruler one day. Joseph also had a dream showing him some fat and lean cows, revealing a severe famine that was to come after years of plenty. Daniel had a dream and saw a statue made of various metals, revealing the world powers that would rule Israel through the millennia of time. Peter had a dream of a sheet let down from heaven with all sorts of clean and ceremonially unclean animals. Through this the Lord revealed to him that he accepted all races of people in His salvation plan.

In my mind while praying Tuesday morning I saw a bulging door. In fact the door was bowed in the middle from the contents behind it pressing on it so forcefully. I intuitively knew that the door was in heaven and that behind it were answers to prayer, many of them being healings that people needed. I became acutely aware that the Lord wanted to manifest Himself strongly in the earth before the rapture of the church occurs. I knew that the rapture was to be in the not too distant future. And I knew that prayer was the key that opens the door to the fresh manifestation of Himself that the Father wants to bring to us!

Then Joel 2:28 came up from my heart. Joel prophesied a revival and a fresh move of the Spirit of God just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Peter included Joel 2:28-32 in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, showing that the last days began at the onset of the church age.

To put it all together, I believe the Lord wants to manifest His power through the church in our day in a stronger way than before. Tough times are ahead. There’s no way around them. The world is lining up for the tribulation time and the emergence of the one world government and the rule of the Antichrist. As soon as Israel signs a peace treaty guaranteeing a Palestinian state, the tribulation begins (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). At the same time, Iran, Russia, and many of the Arabs states are joining forces together to attack Israel. It just a matter of time before this occurs (Ezekiel 38-39). These are signs of the times that point to the soon to be tribulation time that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24.

While things go downhill worldwide, The Father wants to display His power through the church! He wants us to pray in an awakening of His presence. He wants to demonstrate Himself through sovereign answers to prayer! The answers are in heaven. We just need to pray to open the door and release them.
Let’s keep our focus on Jesus and on leading people to Him. And let’s commit to praying into manifestation what God has for us in these days prior to the rapture. He wants to use us to bless and help others. What He does now and just before the rapture will continue through those saved during the tribulation after the church leaves. In context, Joel 2 is really speaking of the tribulation time when God will move sovereignly to demonstrate His power to those who are facing terrible calamity.

We are in a time of rapid change worldwide. This rapid change will not cease until the whole world is in the throes of the tribulation. Now is the time to seek God. Now is the time to ask Him to manifest Himself to the unsaved and to use us as laborers in the harvest fields of salvation. Now is the time to commit to fervent prayer!

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising (Isaiah 60:1-3).