After seventeen days basking in the glorious presence of God so evidently and undeniably permeating the party island of Ibiza, I am now home. Words are not enough to articulate how in utter awe I am of just how delightfully, compassionately, creatively and tenderly the Lord is at work in Ibiza.

Mind. Forever. Blown.

This is the most profound takeaway I have exploding in the inside of me as I return to my everyday life adventure with God - I am totally pumped with the potent potential of a life of prayer and faithfully, and with patiently sowing into the ground that surrounds, with God’s love. This simple, yet super encouraging truth; GOD IS AT WORK when we pray!! It’s a smack you in the face reminder of just how at work God has permission to be when we drench something in prayer and love!

I mean San Antonio was heaving - like literally bursting at the seams with encounters, just waiting to happen. On our last night there we literally couldn’t bear to finish for the night because we knew there were so many people ready for an encounter…it’s like God was so so sooooo positioned to pour out and literally just needed us to step into place. People were so eager to meet with God, to pray, to hear more about Him and to acknowledge that His love and His intervention was at work in their lives…

I cannot count the number of encounters we had I Ibiza, with people day in day out where God showed up with His dignity, love and kindness - whether it was on the beaches during the day as we enthusiastically shared out oranges to quench holiday maker’s thirst, in the early hours of the morning, blessing someone emptying the bins, with eternal salvation and soul peace - or if it was on the dirty streets of San Antonio tending to someone completely inebriated, cursing away with vomit dripping from their chin. Every moment, in every circumstance God was at the ready - to pour out His love onto an Island that He had so passionately, intentionally and prayerfully been invited onto.

I honestly felt that because the Island of Ibiza gave so much honour to 24-7 and the work that they do in God’s name that they had vicariously engaged with the blessing of heaven. I felt like this island was positioned for the most delightful, delicious outpouring of favour, hope, rescue, love, adventure, salvation and goodness it could never have merited in the natural - simply because it had over the last twenty years so welcomed and honoured the work of 24-7 - and so as a result it had by association welcomed heaven into it’s midst. They have tapped into a blessing beyond their wildest dreams and a rescue of the sweetest kind because they have recognised and honoured the love that 24-7 carry! Woweeeeee! It’s CRAZZZY!!

I’m so excited, so convinced, so encouraged to be reminded afresh so powerfully that God is at work even in the darkest of places. Yet I am also soberly aware that God is only fully at work in those often God-forsaken places when we His kids set up altars there. When we meet with God and erect memorial stones to commemorate our encounters with God in those places and we do this time and time again that space no matter how dark or ungodly becomes an altar for Him.

And He is then magnified and glorified in that area. He is given permission to invade that space because it is holy and consecrated unto God no matter what darkness surrounds that area His light shines brighter still. Yet God has called us the light of the world and His light in the world can only shine where we choose to go. And if we don’t go to the dark places then Christ within us, the Hope of Glory is unable to move. He is restricted to where we choose to stay. He is only able to answer the prayers we pray in line with His Word.

So if we aren’t going where He wants us to go and we aren’t praying according to His Word then His hands are tied. Not to mention the angels who are simply confined to doing God’s bidding when we pray and so if we don’t pray they remain redundant! I remember praying away one night in the prayer room in Ibiza and marvelling at the field day angels must have out there because people are constantly praying God’s heart and they are constantly being despatched to do God’s work in thee most adventurous, miraculous and mind blowing ways. I mean seriously, it’s INSANE. In the most delicious way.

I want that. I must see more of this. I must be part of it. I want to see what I have just seen in Ibiza, in my own world. I want to see a prayer and love movement that creates the culture of heaven in thee most glorious way in the darkest places by simply living a life of love and prayer. I want to see heaven kiss earth as a lifestyle. I want to see lives transformed over time. I want to have the vision and patience to wait and sow and pray and press in over decades to be part of the mysterious long range plan of eternity that unfolds year upon year, decade upon decade, age by age, generation by generation.

More than ever before I want to see God move in this generation and I long for my prayers, my communion with God, my love affair with Him, my obedience and His love displayed through me to sooooo be part of HIS-STORY - in our time.

In the crushing, in the pressing
You are making new wine
In the soil, I now surrender
You are breaking new ground

So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don't need to understand

Make me Your vessel, make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me

- New Wine (Hillsong)

x