Shalom Aleichem Beloved, Recently during my time soaking in God’s presence, I’ve found myself confronted repeatedly with the same vision. I see myself standing before a sand dune, knowing that on the other side is an ocean that represents a new depth of both resources in the natural and a sharpening in the prophetic.
Occasionally in this vision, the wind blows and the dune shifts just enough to catch a glimpse of the vast ocean on the other side. As I began to seek the Lord for clarity and understanding, I felt deeply that He was trying to get my attention. There was something I was missing that was holding me from the other side. I began submitting this vision to my mentors seeking counsel from those I am submitted to.
Finally, this past week, I left for a vacation with my wife, Caite, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with a group of our friends. When we arrived, our first stop was naturally the beach. As I stepped onto the shore and my toes hit the cold sand near the water's edge, I breathed deeply and said. “Ok Lord, these next four days I am all ears. Speak what you need to. Your servant is listening.”
It was like a dam broke and the Lord began to impress His presence upon me and His voice was inescapable with every sight, sound, and smell echoing His heart. One of my friends, who I had shared the vision with, came up to me and lightly punched me in the arm with a grin from ear to ear asking, “Do you realize what you’ve done?”
I looked at her confused until she pointed back to the sand dune we had just crossed over. As it began to dawn on me she continued, “You’ve literally fulfilled the vision you’ve been having, so…..what is God saying now?” I turned toward the sea and I heard the Lord ask, “Son, what do you feel?” “Peace, I answered, complete and utter peace.” “Then live in this” was His response.”
Again He asked me, “What do you see before you?” I answered, “The ocean, Lord.” He asked again, “how is it related to the sea of prophetic and resource I am calling you into?” I stood silent for a moment and answered, “It’s vast, limitless, terrifyingly powerful. It has everything I need for survival and yet contains a powerful unknown that terrifies me to my core. All I can think about is being ripped by the undertow and carried out into everything I fear.”
I could almost feel Him smile as He asked, “So what are you waiting for?” I began to realize that what terrified me wasn’t what was in the ocean. Instead, it was the idea that I couldn’t resolve my lack and need for provision before diving in. I was more scared of letting Him take care of what was on the shore side of the sand dune than I was getting carried away by the riptide I was chasing.
Beloved, maybe the answer to your breakthrough is simply learning to abide in the breaking waves and allowing the current to pull you further as you learn to simply soak in His presence. I am not saying sit and do nothing. I am saying that once you’ve stewarded your resource to the best of your ability and you’ve done everything humanly possible to bring about change, the only thing left is for you to chase that riptide and leave everything you can’t control in the Hands of your Father on the other side of that sand dune.
In the Love of Christ,
Matt Kunkel
Tabernacle Youth Ministry Director