ARTICLES

NEED A PROPHETIC WORD FOR THE COMING YEAR?

by Lyn Packer

It’s getting near the end of the year and for most of us we begin to wonder what lies ahead for us in the coming year, and what God has in store for us. We often wish that someone would prophesy over us and tell us God’s intentions for us, or what is going to take place during the next year, so that we have a heads-up on what’s coming – good or bad.

It’s not wrong to want a prophetic word, or to look to the prophets to see what God is saying, but a word that God personally speaks to you one-on-one is even better. After all, you were created to know His voice and to hear Him speak to you (John 10:4-5).

I’m no different from anyone else, I love it when someone prophesies over me and God’s heart and intentions for me are revealed, but I know that’s not the only way to hear from the Lord. I know I can reach out in faith, knowing that the Lord loves to talk with me and reveal His heart to me. So as each year draws to a close I ask the Lord for a prophetic word from His heart to mine that will help me as I go into the new year.

At the end of last year I asked the Lord for a word for the coming year, as I normally do, and I heard Him say simply, “Trust”. I wasn’t sure what He meant by that at the time, but that simple one word prophecy has held me over and over again during this past year’s battle with a major health problem. It was one of those health problems that wants to cause a lot of fear, and one of the big things I learnt through that prophetic word ‘trust’ was that a fear was an indicator of an area I hadn’t yet learnt to trust the Lord in. He taught me heaps of other things, too, but that was a biggie. I’ve learnt now that fear is a doorway to either establishing trust or turning from trust.

Receive a word for yourself

You, too, can receive a word from the Lord for this coming year if you ask Him for one. There are many ways that the Lord can communicate to you; the following isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few of the ways He communicates with us.

• Through Scripture.

• Through personally speaking to you in your heart and mind – this is known as the still small voice of God.

• Seeing a picture with your mind’s eye.

• In a dream.

• Something someone says.

All revelation from the Lord is an invitation from Him to enter a journey of discovery and relational interaction with Him, so the word He gives you will probably need some unpacking with Him over a period of time. One basic thing to understand is that no one way of hearing, or receiving revelation, is better than another or more spiritual than another, they are simply different ways to receive. Also, more words, or a longer word, isn’t an indicator of a prophetic word’s importance. Sometimes the Lord will deliberately say very little because He is inviting you to ask Him more about what He has said.

So how do you get a prophetic word from the Lord for this coming year, and what do you do with it once you’ve received it?

• Ask the Lord to give you a word concerning His heart and intentions for you and believe that He will do so. James says we have not because we ask not (James 4:2) and John tells us in chapter 16: 23 that if we ask in Jesus’ name we will receive.

• Test it; weigh what you received against God’s revealed heart for mankind in Scripture, His nature and His character, and whether it is encouraging, whether it builds you up or makes you feel comforted (1 Cor 14:3,4). If you’re unsure whether it is from the Lord then submit it to someone you trust who is a mature Christian.

• Ask the Lord to give you insight and understanding into that word and what His purpose is in giving it to you. Remember, all revelation is an invitation to a journey of discovery and relational interaction with the Lord. This understanding may not all be revealed at once, but may come over a period of time.

• Journal what He shares with you at that time, but also leave space in your journal to add more as He unfolds it further over time. You can journal just with words or you can add pictures, journaling it in art form. Or you can do a vision board where you write the word in the centre of the board and add words and pictures to it as the Lord reveals things over time that add to the fullness of understanding you’re growing into. Hang your vision board somewhere where you’ll see it often.

• Share it with a couple of people you trust and ask them to pray for you in regards to it. And also ask them to help you remember it and encourage you with it when needed throughout the year.

• At the end of the year look back over what that word has meant to you. Review your journal or vision board and celebrate what the Lord has done and thank Him for all you’ve been through and have learnt.

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