PROPHETIC WORDS

TURANGAWAEWAE – A PLACE TO STAND!

by Gustavo Araujo

I had a dream on the night of October 6, 2018.

The Dream

In the dream I was preaching in a church in New Zealand. The church had few people and most of them were not interested in hearing what I was saying. There weren't young people present. I don’t remember what I was preaching, but I was excited about being able to lead the people to worship the Lord. While I was speaking I saw some people bowing their knees and I felt the Holy Spirit bringing a feeling of respect and honour. During that time I led all the people outside of the building and I guided them to a river.

We were on a bridge above a small river and the river seemed to not be flowing as fast as it should. The pathway over the bridge was leading to a mountain. I continued to preach and some curious families stopped to hear. I remember that I asked for a bowl with water. Someone brought me a bowl and I took the bowl and dumped the water in the river, and a mighty sound of streams started.

I was full of the Holy Spirit and then I yelled: "I’m standing before you and before the Turangawaewae river. What does Turangawaewae mean?”

I saw a group of strong young people, men and women, come out from amongst the families that had stopped just to see what was happening, and they answered my question ahead of the crowd, yelling, “Stand!”

The Holy Spirit took control at this moment. The strong sound of the waters, added to the loud yells and prayers of the people, created a powerful and unbelievable environment. It is difficult to describe.

I remember I kept yelling, “Turangawaewae!” The huge crowd kept yelling, “Stand!” At some point it looked, and sounded, like a responsive choir. And then I said, “The Lord is calling us to Turangawaewae because He is establishing His Turangawaewae!”

Then we were back in the church building. I saw some people praying for one another and some were singing. People were talking to each other and opening their hearts about personal challenges. I was not preaching anymore; I was off the stage and many young people came to talk to me. They said they were interested in knowing more about Jesus and how to worship Him. It was an alive atmosphere now.

The Meaning

After the dream I couldn’t sleep and I prayed and asked Lord for the meaning of the dream. I don’t have many connections in New Zealand and I had never studied New Zealand culture, but I knew that the Maori culture is the original culture in your nation.

I had never heard or seen the word ‘turangawaewae’ so I started to look for names of rivers and words in Maori. I didn’t know how to write the sound of what was in my mind so I found the word turangawaewae and I discovered that this word has a strong meaning to New Zealand, and it is one of the most well-known Māori concepts.

Turangawaewae means turanga (standing place), waewae (feet). It is literally translated as “a place to stand.” Turangawaewae are places where we feel especially empowered and connected. They are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.

The Spirit of the Lord said to me, “The Lord is calling us to Turangawaewae because He is establishing His Turangawaewae!” It means: The Lord is calling us to stand before Him because He is establishing a place where He has the right to stand, a place where only He has rights of residence.

Also the Spirit said to me that in my dream - the bridge is Jesus, the water in the bowl is His Holy Spirit, the mountain is God the Father, and the river is our lives. 

The Spirit lead me to the passage in Acts 7:49 and that was the final confirmation about the powerful revelation:

Ko te rangi tōku torona, ko te whenua tōku tūranga waewae. he whare pehea ta koutou e hanga ai moku? e ai ta te Ariki: a ko tehea te wahi e okioki ai ahau?

Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest?

First of all I believe the Lord is calling the older people of the Church to turn their hearts in favour toward, and to cry out for, the younger generation. There is a spirit of honour and respect being released amongst the older generations towards the younger ones.

The Spirit is also calling the church to go outside its walls and speak to the people of the communities they live in. Go and speak their own language. I believe that a time to bring young ones to Jesus is coming to New Zealand.

There is a place where the Lord is preparing, empowering and connecting His people for His purposes. He will be on the throne as the King because He has the rights. He is the King and we will be in the house of the King to worship Him.

BIO