Since I know very little about airports and yokes, I was surprised to discover one day that God wanted to use them both as prophetic metaphors in the barn. The Spirit of God has a way of refreshing our minds with new ideas and concepts as well as renewing our understanding of His ability to connect the dots in a timely manner. Here is how it happened.
While celebrating the 2020 Christmas/New Year's season with my in-laws, I woke up one morning reflecting on Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28-30: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. In that moment I was compelled by the Holy Spirit to not only preach from this text on the first Sunday of 2021 but to also draw attention to it during a time of prayer in the barn.
Later that same day I found myself in a conversation with my father-in-law about the construction of airports. I cannot for the life of me remember how we arrived at the topic. I now know it was the gentle wind of the Spirit, but at the time it was puzzling.
Me: How do they build airports?
Father-In-Law: First, they study the wind to determine patterns of airflow. Runways need to be placed in alignment with head and tailwinds because crosswinds are particularly dangerous during take off and landing. Then they construct the airport building in relation to the runways.
Not immediately but some time later as I was thinking about the conversation, the Holy Spirit guided me to a prophetic word. I sensed that God was saying to the Church: It is time to study the new patterns of airflow of the wind of my Spirit. You are still trying to take off and land on old runways that are no longer in alignment with my Spirit. It is time to tear up old runways and establish new ones. Your frustration and lack of success is due to fighting crosswinds not incompetency. Furthermore, you have turned some of the old runways into idols. You preserve them out of fear and pride though they have lost their usefulness. And, you have hastily put down some new runways to suit your own desires rather than mine.
Fast-forward to Sunday January 10, 2021.
A small group of us gathered to pray in the barn. I brought a devotional from Matthew's text on the yoke of Christ and then combined it with the prophetic word connected to airports. Again, even as the words were coming out of my mouth, I wasn't quite sure why I was feeling so led to share what seemed to be two very different themes.
But then I noticed a couple looking back and forth at one another with big smiles. I wondered if I had said something funny. As they began to explain their smiles, I simply sat back and watched the orchestrated purpose of the Holy Spirit.
Couple: On our drive here today we prayed that God would provide an immediate connection that he (the husband) could relate to. And he is a pilot!!! When you started to talking about airports, we were in wonderful shock.
Husband: And did you know that the cockpit of an airplane is referred to as the yoke?
Me: (Stunned) No I didn't.
More in depth conversation ensued as well as a time of collective responding and praying from those in attendance. That moment in the barn was beautiful, convicting, passionate, and Spirit-led. We worship the God who takes two seemingly different themes and connects them with a clarity and timeliness that leaves us in awe of Him. And He gives us moments that are so filled with His Presence that we can never again be satisfied in gatherings that are nothing more than an imitation of the real thing.
Trusting God when you share what He is stirring in your heart is a thrilling and humbling experience. I have failed at it many times but got it right in January 2021. My prayer is that more moments like this will unfold as we gather to pray in the barn. It is building my faith and many others as well. It will also build yours.
So bring to the barn the doubter and skeptic, the broken and sick, the on-fire-for-more-of-the-Presence-of-the-Holy-Spirit and tired, the ministry leader who needs refreshing and anyone who is curious as to what God is doing in a barn in Goochland, VA.
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
For more info on praying in the barn with us on Wednesdays at 6:30pm, contact me at 804.239.0032 or robertrhoden1970@gmail.com.
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