Feel and Hear My Heartbeat

Yesterday, Sunday at 4:18 AM I woke, startled and with a kind of heaviness in my chest like never before. I tried to shake it off and even considered taking a nitroglycerin tablet it was so intense. As I pushed the button on the coffee maker a song came over the speakers that caught my attention. I was listening to my favorite kind of worship mix, spontaneous worship. The words that struck me and made everything make sense were this: "I can hear the rhythm of the heartbeat of heaven." I recognized the song, something I had heard many many years ago. Originally Vineyard Music wrote the song, these are the lyrics:
"Can you feel the rhythm of heaven
Bringing freedom as we sing
Can you feel the passion growing It is beating deep within
We lay our pride on the floor
We come to surrender our all
You are the center of it all
And that is why we fall
Down on our knees
We're here 'cause we heard your Spirit's call
Now the curtain has been torn
As we worship we are freed
Can we feel the power of heaven
Bringing healing as we pray
Can you feel compassion flowing
Taking all our fears away"

As the worship singer was basking in the presence of the Almighty, that line above was being sung over and over "I can hear the rhythm of the heartbeat of heaven." It was in a moment that I realized the reality of what is happening in my life right now - labor!

In the natural order of things at the end of a pregnancy, labor begins. Any of you women who have given birth can attest to the truth that it is exhausting, lengthy, painful and hard work! And with the onset of the second stage, there is usually an overwhelming urge to PUSH! and give birth. During this time, so much can go wrong which could lead to death - mother, baby, or both. Supernaturally speaking there's a point at which we are on the brink or tipping point or birthing something new. It's a time, where if we don't steward it carefully, death or spontaneous abortion can occur. God's timing and order are crucial to giving birth. It will take determination and discernment in the face of opposition, distraction, intimidation, misunderstanding, sickness, isolation, pain and even abuse under the leadership of the Holy Spirit!

Charles Spurgeon once said,"No faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weaknesses had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods!"

It still wasn't making complete sense to me as all this was unfolding. I wrote and basked in the worship. Then it was time to head out to church, so I shut off the music, got everything together, put the baby in the stroller and headed out. And as I'm walking I'm starting to understand something about labor. All the pain and struggle and fear lead up to one ultimate moment - the JOYOUS birth of a child! I remember my pregnancy, 20 years ago. I was in labor for close to 40 hours! The pain was horrific! It was intense and there wasn't any amount of pain medication that would quench that pain. The more I fought against the pain, the longer it took my body to relax and dilate. It wasn't until the doctor came in and gave me an epidural that I was able to relax, be still, and rest. In that resting period I dilated a full 10 centimeters and was brought into the labor and delivery room to begin the final stage of the pregnancy - giving birth. When I finally pushed my daughter out, I felt this intense and overwhelming joy; and as she was put into my arms for the first time, I fell in love with this precious little girl.

I entered the sanctuary of my church and sat down. I was sweaty from the 2 block walk, a little out of breath and hot. The coolness of the room fell over me and I began to relax and breathe. Worship began. It's always in worship where the Holy Spirit comes over me with this intensity that I can hardly contain, but this was different for me. There wasn't this riled up, can't stop dancing and clapping spirit upon me. It was more a peace and stillness worship experience for me this time. As I knelt down at the alter to worship the Lord I felt this presence behind me. I thought it must be one of the kids coming to worship with me or maybe someone has come to pray with me, as these things happen quite often. But then not only did I feel this presence, I heard a hot breathed whisper in my left ear that said, "My child, be still, rest comfortably, you are in My waiting room." I looked up and saw no one around me, shook it off and kept worshiping at the alter. This happened 2 more times. The same presence and hot-breathed whisper in my left ear, speaking the same words. I was sort of confused because I had heard a pastor on YouTube say that God doesn't speak to us in an audible voice. I beg to differ, because He spoke to me yesterday morning, clear as day. I knew it was the Lord and I knew what it all meant. It's time to be Mary, sit at His feet, wait on Him and fix my eyes on Him.

And the heartbeat of heaven accompanies me during this time of "spiritual labor." The light of God's glory is shining on all of my situations. The breakthroughs, the deliverance, the forgiveness, the redemption, the signs and the wonders are more than amazing! Hearing and obeying God have been and will continue to be the keys to unlocking my prison doors & your prison doors. It will be what sets us all free from the power of sin, the power of fear, the power of doubt. Acts 12:7-8 says, "Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up saying: Arise quickly! And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him: Gird yourself and tie on your sandals. And so he did. And he said to him: Put on your garment and follow me."

Do you know what time it is beloveds? Do you realize what time it actually is? It's time to return to your first love, Jesus. It's time to get up quickly and get appropriately dressed. It's time to be positioned for new birth under the leading of the Spirit of God in the new season ahead of us! It's time to give birth and PUSH! Miracles happen when we fix our eyes on Jesus Christ. I want to be bold for a minute and share this word with you all. I don't claim to be a Prophetess, I do claim the gifts that are promised me through Salvation and I boldly exercise on of those gifts right now. I believe that we are all in His waiting room right now. That's what this world lock-down has been for many believers. We will continue to stay in His waiting room until we stop, relax, listen to His instruction and fully dilate. There is going to come a time when He says PUSH! This time, this waiting time is gearing us all up for that time of birth. We are going to need every bit of strength and courage to push. I encourage each of you to ask, seek, knock. And trim your lamps, get your oil ready. Jesus is coming back for His Brides. The evidence is all around us. And if you can't see it, then pray He removes the scales from your eyes and gives you the eyes you need to see the truth.

Here's some truth for you to ponder:
"Lord, in trouble they have visited You, they poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them. As a woman with child is in pain and cries out in her pangs, when she draws near in the time of her delivery, so have we been with child, we have been in pain. We have, as it were, brought forth wind; we have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth, nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen. Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Isaiah 26:16-19 (NKJV)
"But it is always good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and change my tone; for I have doubts about you." Galations 4:18-20 (NKJV)
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27 (NKJV)

We don't know the time, the day, or the hour He will return, but we have been given the signs in His Word. Open your eyes and your hearts to the mysteries and the wonders and the signs from God above! Dig into the Word. People get ready, Jesus is coming! I can hear the rhythm of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, can you? .