We recently held our first,“Come Heal This Land” gathering in Monticello, MN. After a week of preparation, practicing, setting up/tearing down equipment, carrying equipment, sound checks, etc., we gathered together on a cold, rainy, October night to seek the Lord on behalf of our region and our nation. We welcomed everyone, explained what we were believing to accomplish by gathering together and began to make decrees through our worship. In the middle of the second song, “Nothing but the Blood” the power blew out…we finished the song acapella (the truth of those words rang out even louder without the instruments). After searching to discover the source of the power issue, we soon discovered that the power was out in the entire town. If we’d had acoustic piano and/or guitar along it would have been a non-issue, but we’d come prepared to amplify. Thankfully, the Lord always has His plan…a good friend of ours had just gotten back to town after leading a worship event in western MN, felt prompted to get to our gathering on time, and had his acoustic guitar in the car…the Lord knew that and we just continued as planned…to be led by the Spirit and to seek Him on behalf of our region and our nation.

The lights stayed out for about 1-1/2 hours. We worshiped and prayed together as a Body in the midst of the darkness with a single backup entry light in the corner of the room. Many people were quickened by the Spirit to stand in the gap, to repent, to pray, to cry out, to sing the song of the Lord, and to give words of Scripture (via the entry light), including the children. There was much confirmation that we were gathering in a literal prophetic picture of our nation…in complete darkness with One Light shining in the corner. Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of His people and of this nation. We will continue to sit in darkness as a nation if His people who are called by His name – who carry His glory – don’t begin to rise up and carry His presence out into the harvest. The harvest isn’t sitting in our churches…it’s in our schools, our workplaces, our shopping centers, our gas stations, our sporting events, etc…

We prayed that while people sat in darkness without television, computers, video games, etc. to dull their minds that He would begin to turn on His light in their spirits. We prayed that the Lord would turn the lights of His spirit on all over this nation…that He would raise up leaders who would lead with His heart and will…that He would take back this nation for His Kingdom and His glory…that He would be the love of this generation. A 9-year old shared that God had turned the power out because He is the power source. Just as we sensed it was complete and were about to finish for the night, the lights suddenly came back on. We closed with amplied decrees to seal what had transpired in that precious time in His presence.

The Lord is truly in control, regardless of the best-laid plans of man…regardless of man’s agenda to push Him out of our society. He will shake the foundations of those who have not built on Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone of our faith, the Solid Rock on which we stand. Every Word He has spoken is truth and it will stand the test of time. Will we His people, who are called by His name, humble ourselves and seek His face so He will come and heal our land…so He will reveal Himself to those who do not have His light within them…so we will be the vessels who can point the way to those whose foundations have been shaken? When there’s a light in the darkness, even if it’s a small light, it shines brightly…light dispels darkness. His Light accomplished all He had purposed for our small gathering in that time and place. It’s now the time and place for His people to dispel the darkness by carrying His Light out into the world for all to see!

P.S. The evening news reported that a “transformer” had been knocked out over the entire region we were gathering together to intercede for…only God…