Prophetic Songwriting

I woke up this morning and remembered that R.E.M. just broke up. Not that I really followed the band ever, but they have that song, "It's the end of the world (as we know it)" and so I wanted to youtube it. Because of the way that my mind works, I began searching the history of the band, doing the wikipedia thing. So I researched the song to find out that Michael Stipe, the lead singer, got part of his inspiration for the song in a dream.

I love the prophetic and so when I saw that he received part of the song in a dream I had to see what other songs were inspired in whole or in part from dreams. Generally I think that kind of information goes unnoticed or considered irrelevant. The common assumption is that dreams don't really mean anything except that your mind is active, therefore, a dream is an innocent zone to receive inspiration. Having had prophetic dreams I can't believe that the inspirations for songs in dreams are merely human creativity.

I searched a little into songs that were inspired by dreams and came across "(I can't get no) Satisfaction," by the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards woke up in the middle of the night after hearing the guitar riff in his sleep and suddenly the words were coming to him, "I can't get no, satisfaction." He heard the melody from somewhere and the song enjoyed a load of success.

These are only two examples, but there are several Beatles' songs that were shaped in some measure by a dream from the authors.

So the other night, as Jamie and I were praying she started praying that I would receive songs and melodies in dreams. Then I saw a picture of a guitar neck and certain notes being highlighted and I felt the Lord saying, "greater works than these (John 14:12)." It began to dawn on me that He can give songwriters melodies and lyrics with a specific design of unlocking hope and healing, and salvation to the hearers. So then the night before last I was asked to play a show, but because of fear I didn't want to perform. A familiar man and songwriter began rebuking me for that fear and told me in essence that crouching back in fear is like burying a talent in the ground.

Satan has no problem giving inspiration to songwriters; consider a lot of secular songs, with titles like: "Babylon" and "Kisses over Babylon." Those are real songs that I'm familiar with. They actually really alert me to the time in which we find ourselves. Songs help shape the mindset of cultures by causing the hearer to unknowingly or consciously meditating on subject the lyrics are pointing to. satan was the worship leader of heaven until he rebelled; he knows the spiritual dynamic of melody and rhythm. But he can go no further than that.

God created sound. God created melody. God created the human spirit to respond to sound and melody and rhythm. I think Papa is looking for a few good dreamers who will listen for the sound and declare what they hear by the Holy Spirit. I say, "a few good dreamers," all we have to do is ask, fall asleep, wake up and write the inspirations given to us.

Father God promised Jesus that the whole earth would be filled with worshipers making His name great throughout the earth (Mal. 1:11). Let's wake up and dream. Let's see. Prophetic Songwriters and dreamers arise.

Creativity and Sight

I am not an artist, nor do I want to be. I mean that I'm not an artist as in one who sketches or paints or sculpts. Most of my creativity rests in music. So last night I saw a picture in my head (vision) and I asked the Lord to help me draw it. This is what came out.

In the vision I saw a dove coming up out of a Star of David that was on fire. But because of my limited drawing ability, the Lord used my weak drawing ability to portray the message that was resonating in my heart. 

I see this picture as a dove, marked with a drop of blood, and set ablaze with holy passion. Or better put, the Holy Spirit by the blood of Jesus bringing revival and awakening to the Jewish people and the nations. 

Again, I'm not an artist and don't aspire to be; but I really began pondering why the Lord would give that to me. So I was talking to my soon-to-be( , but will be in 12-days-) wife about it and I said this phrase: 

"the first person said to be filled with the Holy Spirit in the Bible was an artist." I knew this, but then I said, "God instructed him to sculpt cherubim...how did he know what they looked like?" (Exodus 31). 

It then kind of dawned on us, God's Spirit releases creativity. That's obvious, He's the creator and He loves to partner with us and create stuff with us. But how does He do it? He opens our eyes and enables us to "create" what we see. If we set our eyes on Him, He will give us the sight to inspire the song, the vision that becomes the painting. 

My fiancee has a tattoo that reads, "Contamos tu gloria" (We proclaim Your glory). Let's create stuff and proclaim His glory. 

Remembering 9/11 and hearing God's heart

Today many of us are remembering where we were when we heard the news, and saw the jets fly into the Twin Towers. We remember the acts of heroism at Ground Zero and the Pentagon. And while many voices declare their interpretation of the events of 9/11, I find myself taking a different angle. 

My involvement in the prayer movement in the past 4 years has given me the opportunity to see different trends that develop while we all seek the knowledge of God. The Lord is teaching His body His heart and how to operate with prophetic understanding of the times and seasons He is bringing about in the world. With that, I'm finding that I have a bad taste in my mouth whenever people prophesy judgment. I have come to understand that Jesus will judge the earth, set up His Kingdom and reign. My point is not so much the idea that God is the Righteous Judge, but in declaring Him so I want to articulate the heart of mercy found in the Majesty on High. 

On this day, my hopes are that some will seek the face of God and many turn to Him. The face of God is found in Jesus. He is the exact image of who God is, what God feels and what He is like. If that's the case, then I can know His heart regarding the judgment of the nations. 

In Matthew 23, Jesus lays out harsh rebukes to the leaders of His day. I find that to be like a father with his children. At first, a gentle reminder, then more stern, and if the child continues to ignore that father's words, then very strong words before releasing the punishment to teach the child. I think that's how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees all through Matthew. He constantly was giving them the Scripture, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." His point was to get them to meditate on His heart so that they would turn. 

Ultimately the Jewish people of that era did not heed Jesus' words. What did Jesus feel for them? "Jerusalem, Jerusalem,...how I long to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks....you were not willing...therefore your house shall be left desolate." Jesus wept over Jerusalem while issuing the decree of judgment. Did God hate them? Absolutely not. And I think that He cared a lot to see children fall in the streets, young and old terrified for their lives and driven from their homes. Jesus wept over the desolation of Jerusalem. He wept over the successive deaths of every generation since that refused to turn to Him. He took no pleasure in seeing the Holocaust take place and I think He takes no pleasure in releasing judgment in our nation. 

We ought to be cautious in issuing words of judgment as psuedo-prophets of the End-Times, lest we offend the heart of God. He doesn't need us to condemn the world with our words. He needs us to bring understanding of the judgment He is releasing, while extending the invitation to receive mercy from Him. 

If Jesus perfectly reflects the person of God in His life and actions, then His weeping over Jerusalem has to be how He feels over our nation and the nations of the earth. Christianity is not a relationship like a captive feels toward a captor, as if we had Stockholm Syndrome and fell in love with our captor. We are born again unto a living hope, not a dying judgment. Nor are we spared as Jesus' cronies who will help Him get the message across that He is coming. We are spared by mercy, we have been saved in this hope and we partner in intercession with Him to see mercy triumph over judgment that many would turn to Him. 

On this day, I find no place for condemning judgment but the opportunity to turn to Jesus today, to find living hope today, to find resurrection today. The same Lord over all is rich to all who call on Him. May we find mercy and rest in Him and reach a dying world for Him. Amen.