Listener: Last night I heard a teaching on the Fifth Watch which seemed to indicate that this was the time when Holy Spirit intended to begin bringing His words for Daily Bread. This was confirmed this morning when He awakened me at 6:25…in the middle, or perhaps the very end…of a dream about revelations. At first I sought confirmation that the dream was truly from Him…and this confirmation became evident as He continued to speak…to speak not in words that I can record here for you but in those deeper revelations that must be received in the spirit and given meaning in our minds…in our simply knowing and then attempting to express it in words. I will try to tell you what I received and pray that you can accept, as I have, that this truly is a message from the Holy Spirit spoken in the words of the one to whom He has entrusted the name “Listener.” I believe that the message that I was receiving when I emerged from sleep had to do with the gift that the Holy Spirit is in the process of revealing regarding my experiencing the pain of those for whom I stand in the gap in intercession. The revelation in the dream seemed to suggest that past events had prepared me to receive that gift..and I believe, but am not certain (I pray again for confirmation before I even write these words) that this gift of standing in intercession includes the ability to receive the answer to the prayers, to receive for the person for whom I stood in intercession. Last night I was blessed to be able to stand in the gap for a young woman who has a painful and life-threatening disease, for which the doctors have said that, in her case, there is no cure. After what I had experienced Sunday night during such an intercession (see November 11 Daily Bread), I was disappointed when I felt no sense of “oneness” with the one for whom I was standing in. I had concern, deep compassion, and knew that prayers of belief and faith were being lifted up, but not the deep sense of personal involvement that I had expected. But then, later, after the service, when I was at home…I experienced physically one of the primary presenting symptoms of the disease which we had asked God to heal…not a mild experience but a painful one…as painful physically as the spiritual, mental and emotional pain that I had felt for the one for whom we prayed Sunday night. I had fought satan’s fiery darts of doubt when he attempted to tell me that the manifestation of my friend’s pain Sunday night was just me…just my deep concern and compassion for her…but I can have no doubt about the physical manifestation that I experienced last night. This was a lengthy session…The Holy Spirit continued to give me assurances and instructions as I prayed. He told me that experiencing the pain of others is a burden, but then to be enabled to receive the healing for them is a very great blessing. I asked for a prayer for those for whom we had interceded, and He gave me the prayer, with instructions to record it. “Lord, I receive…even as I received their pain, I now receive their healing. I stand on the faith that you have given me for this healing … and I Thank You for Your Goodness and Your Mercy. Then He gave me confirmation that the faith of those who pray can enable them to receive the answer to their prayers, reminding me of His answer years ago to the prayer of my pastor and his wife when they had the faith to believe, even though I did not believe, that He had healed me, delivered me from the recurrent migraine headaches which so limited my life …headaches which I never experienced again after they prayed that night. And then He issued the ultimate challenge to my faith…that I must give public testimony to what He has revealed to me this morning…I must post this in Daily Bread. I must go out on the limb of TRUST to OBEY His instructions. I must also admit that I do not have, of myself, this much faith…this is the greater faith that He has given me not only to receive healing for others but which is also a part of His teaching of the Fullness of the Spirit through me. This is the most humbling experience that the Holy Spirit has ever given me. AND THEN I HEARD HIS VOICE…The Holy Spirit speaks: Listener, why do you think that I gave you the prayer for physical healing as well as the physical pain which you experienced, neither of which can be denied? It was to reinforce your belief in the spiritual pain which you felt Sunday night and the spiritual healing which is to follow. Now you have been instructed to receive both healings for the two individuals for whom you stood in intercession, and to testify to that before either healing has become evident. A vital part of your operating in both aspects of this gift is your willingness to testify to the healing and to the receiving…to give evidence as to what I can and will do through and for those who yield to Me. The fact that you are about to post this message indicates that I have answered your prayers for the courage and the faith to do this.
