Rise Up

Rise up you who have lived small and unseen-

those who have lived on the outskirts of life, watching as the world keeps turning and laughing and bursting with success.

Rise up you who have felt insignificant and unworthy in every way-

those who have listened and believed every lie whispered in your ear about who you are and what you lack.

Rise up oh you woman at the well-

the one with a sordid past who found pleasure and peace in the only way that made sense to your wounded and needy heart.

Rise up you who have had your most sacred and tender places stolen and used-

a thievery of the deepest kind at the hands of those you thought you could trust-

so much has been taken that you are not even sure which parts of you are yours to own anymore.

Rise up you who have been abused and addicted, who have given in and given up-

those who have felt such a desperate need for relief and release that everything you do is nothing of who you really are.

Rise up you remnant, you are anything but left behind! Rise up in the midst of the shaking and the pressing as something is stirring deep inside of you. Something is calling you out and calling you forth in the very places that have been more comfortable tucked away in the dark recesses of life- places that have felt depleted and so unfillable.

You are being stopped in your tracks.

You are being called right where you are.

You are being lifted out of despair and you are not defined by your past.

Hear the truth of where you are as you stand in this very place.

Look around you…

The desolate is being refurbished, the empty being filled.

The darkness is lifting and the Light of Day is breaking through.

You are being re-formed.

The real you. The true you.

You who are the pioneers, the forerunners, the reformers and the Army of God.

Those who will run headfirst into the darkness to rescue the lost.

Those who will find the captives and wrap their arms around them setting them free through a release of love.

The Lord is gathering His beloved for such a time as this. And it’s not just the famous and the beautiful and the ones up on the stage…it’s not just the ones in the spotlight of the world. No, He is calling the ones who say, “Surely not me.” He is calling the ones who have thought they were disqualified by the things they have done or said. He is calling the everyday people, those who may have been overlooked by the world but are now entering the most important positions of the day. He is igniting the fire of purity and calling forth the dance of true surrender. Right here. Right now. Right where you are is where you are supposed to be, so settle into the promises unfolding.

There is a unity being formed as we of every race, tongue and tribe hold one another's hand as our true identity is being formed and forged and revealed. There is a heightened sense of family and community that transcends the definitions we have lived under thus far. And there is an urgency of hope pulsating, reverberating and establishing the solid foundation on which we stand.

He is raising up a people who know who they are in the truest sense–a vision built in the shadow of the Almighty. He is raising up a people who are forgiven and free and live to step into the very space where others will experience this same healing and liberation. A people who long to give light and knowledge of the sheer beauty of creation through the revelation of the beauty of its creator.

The more of God calls to every wounded place and it is a sound which is calling forth the greatness of His victory. Even in what feels like chaos, his plans are sound and secure and full of hope.

Watch as He uses the you of your past, your present and your future to unfold the most beautiful story ever woven.