So, a small group of us spent New Year's Eve at church, praising and praying in the new year. A much better way to celebrate the end of one decade and ring in the next.
We four met at the altar, greeting the occasional wanderer who joined us at differing times of the eve. Yet we remained. But were we prepared for this new thing that God would be doing through us? Were we truly His watchmen, guarding the Word in our lives or were we there for our benefit? Let us hope that we gathered together for His glory and honor and not for ours.
As I read my Bible, I was informed by the Holy Spirit to read it aloud and stand at the gate. So, I moved from the altar to the top of the stairway, facing the doors which would open to receive the worshipers; speaking aloud the Word which I was given.
Four passages of Scripture were mine to speak.
We four met at the altar, greeting the occasional wanderer who joined us at differing times of the eve. Yet we remained. But were we prepared for this new thing that God would be doing through us? Were we truly His watchmen, guarding the Word in our lives or were we there for our benefit? Let us hope that we gathered together for His glory and honor and not for ours.
As I read my Bible, I was informed by the Holy Spirit to read it aloud and stand at the gate. So, I moved from the altar to the top of the stairway, facing the doors which would open to receive the worshipers; speaking aloud the Word which I was given.
Four passages of Scripture were mine to speak.
- Isaiah 17:14 - Isaiah 18:6
- Isaiah 35
- Psalm 90-97
- Isaiah 58-60
And when I had finished reading, I was instructed to return to the altar and pray, which I did. And after awhile, we sang worship songs which we shared with each other. Rhonda had brought a speaker which shared a blue tooth line with her phone, so the music filled the air, as well as the souls which sought God's direction in this coming year.
The call to prayer and fasting was given several days in advance for all who would to come and seek God's face, to fall upon our knees and prostrate ourselves before the King, seeking only an audience with Him and none other. To be near Him. To hear His heartbeat.
We answered the call. The call to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The call to pray for the lost and dying. The call to seek God's face and not just His hand. The call to fast and pray, that the difficult things which needed to be overcome and delivered from would be set free, not just in us but in those for whom we prayed.
The call to come and worship now, for to morrow was not promised. The call to obedience according to His Word. The call to repentance and redemption, ours and yours. The call to enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts. The call to enter His courts with praise.
That's how we celebrated New Year's Eve 2020. Let the glory of the LORD rise among us!
