BOUND

I prayed for the box that the enemy had placed him in … to be shattered.

As soon as I woke up on the morning of 6/23/23, I had a prophetic vision with two parts. 

THE VISION PART 1

I saw the face of a man. His face was dirty and his hair was disheveled. He appeared to have been been sweating and was shaking, uncontrollably, it seemed. He was totally enclosed inside a light-colored wooden box that looked like an extremely narrow coffin. All I saw was his face, and I could tell that the box was totally surrounding him, to the point that he could barely move. Even though it seemed as if he had been left to die in a remote landscape where no one could find him, apparently, he was still breathing. The coffin’s planks were maybe an eighth of an inch apart, so he could see outside of the box yet was trapped inside. His skin tone was light, and he had dark hair and features. Honestly, he was very handsome and looked as if he could easily be a model. 

THE VISION PART II

In the second part of the vision, I saw the same man’s face, but this time he was not in a box. His face was clean, and his hair was combed. He was standing upright, smiling and laughing. Furthermore, the man was no longer shaking, or fearful, or anything of the sort. The atmosphere around him was sunny and pleasant, and his countenance was cheerful.

REFLECTIONS

Immediately, I began praying for this man. I initially prayed as if he was a real person who was actually in grave danger. My friend Melinda pointed out to me that perhaps he didn’t have anyone in his family to pray for him and so God chose me to pray instead. Who knows? I prayed first for rescue, for divine favor to be discovered where he was hidden, for healing, and for freedom. 

My second thought was that this entire vision may be symbolic. The face could be real, but the visions may be symbolic, with spiritual meanings—messages from God. The Bible tells of many times when God delivered messages through dreams and visions; He still does this today.

I continued praying but this time from a spiritually symbolic point of view. I prayed for the box that the enemy had placed him in, indicative of affliction, grave trouble, or sickness—forcing his life to be at a standstill—to be shattered. I prayed that whatever was keeping him bound would be destroyed because it was keeping him practically paralyzed in his current position, which seemed dire. I earnestly asked the Lord to bless him such that he would break free, for the chains that obviously held him to be loosed. His enemies had planned his demise, but check this out:

You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of many people, just as he’s doing today.

Genesis 50:20 CEB

Perhaps, in the second vision, God was assuring me that He had already freed this man. More likely, He was showing me that the smiling, clean face, along with the brightness of his new atmosphere, represented the situation the man could be in, the results that could be—depending on his or someone else’s prayers. God does not force Himself upon anyone. How would you like it if someone had to force the person you love to love you back? No, that’s not how the Creator of the universe rolls.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

I read something recently that said we should either worry or pray, but not both. God’s instructions make this crystal clear:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

Philippians 4:6 NLT

Here’s the solution for anyone who feels as if they’ve been placed in a box—discouraged, stressed, bound:

PRAY

God’s word says if my people would humble themselves, and pray … then I will hear … forgive … restore … (II Chronicles 7:14).

MANY MAY RELATE

Whether the man in my vision is real or not, I believe there are many who can related to him and his situation.

Do you know anyone who may relate to this vision? Is it you?

  • Perhaps you feel as if everything is closing in on you, as if you were in a box.
  • Perhaps you feel entrapped, and you don’t see a way out. 
  • Perhaps you are nervous and uncertain about some things in your life. 
  • Perhaps you have been involved in something you are uncomfortable with, or that you know is wrong, and you don’t feel clean, spiritually.
  • Perhaps you look good on the outside, as if you have it all together, but on the inside you are distraught, maybe even depressed.
  • Perhaps you can see beyond your circumstances, but your feet feel mired in their current position.
  • Perhaps you are scared and ‘shaking’ and don’t know where to get help from or how to ask others, or God, for help.

GOOD NEWS

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

I Peter 5:10

God is a restorer. He strengthens you to be a repairer of the breach (Isaiah 58:12). He is a way maker. He parts seas. He raises people from the dead. He heals incurable diseases. There is absolutely nothing and no situation that He cannot handle. 

I pray in this moment that all who find themselves bound would soon be described in the following manner:

  • No longer bound
  • Completely set free
  • With chains broken
  • Surrounded by the marvelous, miraculous light of Christ
  • Smiling, genuinely, more often than not
  • Falling into the arms of the Heavenly Father, over and over
  • Looking to Jesus as both Savior and Lord
  • Rejoicing that the Holy Spirit guides every part of your life

Selah.


What are your thoughts after reading this post? Please comment and let me know, and I encourage you to share with others. Grace & peace.

Photo by Lars Nissen, LN_Photoart on Pixabay

What Can We Learn From Abigail?

… May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light …

I recently had an assignment from one of my church house party groups (most churches call them “small groups”) to find a woman in the Bible and find out what we can learn from her. After praying, I chose Abigail. I was excited to dive in, having always loved her story and thought her name was beautiful.

Intro

In I Samuel 25 we find Abigail’s story.

“Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings …” (I Sam 25:2-3)

The Altercation

David and his men had been running from King Saul’s army, as Saul sought to kill David. Saul knew that the prophet Samuel had anointed David to be the next king and had discovered that “the Lord was with him [David], but had departed from Saul” (I Samuel 18:12). Saul became angry and jealous of David and began a concentrated hunt to find and kill him. But God continually protected David. Finally, after Saul’s death, David’s army could stop running.

They found themselves resting where Nabal’s men were sheering his sheep. No doubt, at this point, David and his men were exhausted.

David asked Nabal to grant provisions—food and drink, refreshments—for his men, sighting the fact that his men had dealt respectfully with Nabal’s workers. Nabal refused, disrespectfully at that, and David’s fuse was lit.

Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.” I Sam 25:21-22

Abigail in Action

When Abigail discovered that she and all her household were in danger, she did not hesitate to act.

Her words and actions proved that she was quite thoughtful, a prayer warrior and an encourager.

Abigail cleverly managed the household servants and men who worked for her husband to prepare provisions for David. This was leadership.

She went to great lengths to protect her family and servants.

Risking her life, she made haste to come before David as he was literally on his way to avenge himself and his men by killing all of the men of her household.

Abigail’s Advantage

The traits Abigail displayed are typical of the average woman of strength—but she had a great advantage:

Abigail was reverent and fearful of God.

A stalwart, godly and humble example of a woman, Abigail is one from whom we can learn much. We can apply the characteristics she displayed with our families and in our relationships, which will serve us well.

Abigail’s Character Revealed

Abigail was generous – She prepared a tremendous gift: “Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. (Verses 18-19)

Abigail was humble – She bowed to David: “ … fell on her face before David” and apologized for coming to David in this manner: “Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant.” (Verses 23, 28)

Abigail was sacrificialShe took the blamefor her husband: “On me let this iniquity be!” (Verse 24)

Abigail was truthful She spoke the truth to David about her husband’s character: “Let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal … folly is with him!” (Verse 25)

Abigail was clever – She protected him from bloodshed: “ … since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand.” (Verses 26)

Abigail was boldShe declared favor over him and offered the provisions he had sought: “Let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.” (Verse 26-27)

Abigail was godlyShe blessed him and prayed for him: “ … For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself …” (Verses 28-31)

Abigail was wise She sought goodwill for herself and thereby her household: “ … But when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.” (Verse 31)

Abigail’s Blessing

For having such character traits, Abigail was blessed tremendously. David took her advice and realized it was a blessing from God. After hearing that her husband died, this is what he did:

“ … And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife … Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, ‘Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.’  So Abigail rose in haste …” (Verses 39, 41-42)

True to character, Abigail did not hesitate to respond, followed David’s messengers and became the wife of a king.

________

To Ponder: What are your thoughts on Abigail’s character or the events of her story? I want to learn from you, too.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash