Out of the Ashes, Into the New

When I came to pray this morning there was nothing obvious on my heart, so I asked God what was on His. Immediately He picked up the theme that we had been chatting about a couple of days ago when He said “YOU come!“, and He started speaking some more…

“I am calling My Beloved to come away with Me – to leave behind all the dust and trappings of the old religious experiences, and to step into the great unknown with Me. But many within her are broken & fearful, obstinately clinging to what they have always known . They sit in the ashes of what used to be, idolising the past and calling on Me to come and sit with them, and bless them in their desolation – to resurrect what has been destroyed. But the old is gone. Have I not said that I am doing a new thing, that you cannot comprehend yet? My beloved, won’t you come away with Me into the unknown?
It is a new season – I am calling you to arise and come with Me into a new season of adventure. Do not look for Me where I used to be or ask Me to come and meet you where you are – come to Me. Where I am is where your blessing is, because I AM your blessing. I want to set you free from sitting in the ashes of the old. I cannot bless it. I am with you always, as I have promised – but won’t you come away with Me to find the new freedom and joy that I have planned for you?“

It immediately reminded me of the verses in Songs 2:9-10: “My beloved… stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. My beloved spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, My darling, My beautiful one, come with Me“ (NIV, emphasis mine)

And as God spoke those words into my spirit, I saw two visions:

The first one was one I had seen before, in December last year. It was a picture of a Cinderella-figure: a beautiful but desolate young woman sat by the ashes in a deserted old cabin. The fire was long gone and the ashes were stone cold, with nothing left around her to burn. Her prince/ King was peering through the cabin window & knocking at the door to invite her outside. She wanted him to come inside and re-light the fire like he did before, but He refused, knowing that if he did so, she would never leave.

In the second picture, the King and His Bride were now outside the cabin, where He was leading her into a glorious valley with a sparkling river running through it. There were many fires dotted around where people were gathering. Immediately I understood that this was a picture of God’s Kingdom (God doesn’t talk to me in terms of Church any more – probably because it’s too full of religious connotations – He usually talks in terms of His Bride and His Kingdom).
The fires were not inside buildings, but outside. In fact there were no buildings, just tents and temporary shelters to allow for unrestricted movement. People were travelling freely between the fires, with no walls or barriers. The more they moved about, the brighter and larger the fires burned, for others to see outside the Kingdom, and then they came too. Some people stayed longer with one fire to tend to it (eg the pastors & shepherds) or to recover from/ prepare for their journey (eg some of the newcomers & those in need of healing), but everyone was free to travel between fires at any time. As a representation of God’s Kingdom it struck me that there was one Kingdom with one river but many fires. And that these fires were uncontained places of gathering around the Spirit, for the sharing of light, warmth, power and fuel for the next part of each journey. There were just three elements that seemed important: the river (of life), the fire (of the Spirit), and free movement of the people as they each journeyed with Jesus on the mission unique to them.

I don’t think any of us have experienced this valley before – Jesus has been saying for years that He is doing a new thing. And His invitation to us still stands: will we leave behind the old and journey with Him into the unknown? Some are already heading into the valley (largely the prophets, apostles, and those who have been led by the Spirit), but the invitation still stands.
May we not be found sat by the ashes, asking Jesus to come and bless us like He used to – may we be ready and willing to respond to His invitation to “Come away with me, into the new”