Saturday 7 December 2013

Vision of an Angel

One Saturday afternoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Beryl Akers brought a couple to me and asked me to pray for them to receive the joy of the Lord.

Beryl explained that the couple had just endured a long and wearying counselling session, and she felt the couple needed to experience the joy of the Lord.

So I touched them on the shoulder and said, "Receive the joy of the Lord".

As soon as I did so I saw an angel appear, standing in front of me, facing the couple. I don't think anyone else saw it. I was enabled to see it, with my eyes open, through the spiritual gift of the discerning of spirits.

The angel had two wings. With his two arms he held out a golden gift towards the couple. I knew that the golden gift was the joy of the Lord.

But nothing happened.

Instead the couple began to pray intensely in tongues as if doing spiritual warfare.

I realised their intense action was putting them in a different mode to a receiving mode. Kind of like trying to talk and drink a glass of water at the same time.

So I said to the couple that now was not the time to pray in tongues.

"You can do that when you get home. Just receive," I said.

Still nothing happened.

Now instead of intensely doing something the couple just waited quietly as if they were expecting me to prophesy to them.

I realised that aside from doing spiritual warfare prayer, personal prophecy was probably the only other expression the couple was used to.

So I said: "I'm not going to prophesy to you. Just receive".

Imagine - the angel had arrived straightaway to give the couple the joy of the Lord, but still after all this time they had not received, there still was no manifestation.

Finally Beryl bursted out, "I think God just wants you to laugh!" and she embraced the couple.

Straightaway the couple were filled with joy and laughter.

They laughed for a long time. It was a much-needed refreshment.

The next time I saw the couple, the husband told me that when they drove home that afternoon, they were still laughing after they got home.

And the next morning when they went to their church's Sunday morning service, the joy spread and others in the congregation started laughing too.

God has blessings to give us in response to what we say. Our role, after saying it, is to receive. And certain practical things can get in the way of our receiving.

This is not only true in our personal lives, but also in our meetings. There are manifestations of the Spirit that God wants to give to a meeting. Our role is to speak it and receive it. And there are practical things that can hinder, delay or limit the manifestation of the Spirit in a meeting.

Say it, receive it. 

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