I made a small comment in the first post of interviews with Matheus about the significance of 23 years old / 23 years ago, so here is a short follow up.
Many years ago – I know it was many years ago because I was 46 years old, I got up in the night as I had something burning on my heart. The first part was not burning and did not take much time to offload. It was a simple prayer… ‘if you feel OK about this I would like to live another 46 years. I have not lived long enough yet to make enough mistakes to learn too much so maybe another 46 years will help on that account.’
Well I might have another 46 years, another 46 months, another 4 hours… whatever. So not too important a prayer that part.
The second took longer. Lord help us see 23 year olds rise up who have the maturity that a 46 year might have, without fear, full of insight and with humility, blah, blah blah.
Coincidental ages of course, but I think the point remains. It was, and remains, a very significant moment in my spiritual journey.
I have been amazed at the ‘coincidental’ connections since. Phoning someone years ago, and as part of the background sharing the above experience. At the end of sharing it (and it was the only time we ever conversed by phone) he said to me ‘you know what day it is?’. I had no idea what the question meant… until he said I had phoned him on his 23rd birthday.
23 years ago I left what I was involved in, entered a borrowed vehicle with a team and drove up the motorway to Leeds. Maybe my life was already being changed before I left, but that first journey and the many that followed certainly saw so many internal changes. There was a before and an after at a personal level 23 years ago.
Gayle, likewise is reconnecting with events of 23 years ago. Her world is being turned upside down, as she enters a major phase of what she has been born for.
We are embracing these days, yet travelling as slow as we can, as we are committed to the next 23 years (or 46, or….).
23 and 46 (and 92) were arbitrary numbers… but I suspect that there is something that, for many of us, is rising that somehow taps into an era from the late 90s, that is resurfacing in a new way. Seed that is in the ground does not come up the same as it went in the ground, but it does come up.
Thank Martin, the 90’s were hugely significant for me and changed my view(S) in so many ways. At times I thought I could see so clearly and many times since I have asked ‘ what was that all about?’ as I was obviously not as a clear as I thought. A journey then, and what does resurface now if we allow it? No pithy answers here, but grateful for the nudge….
The seed does not come up the same way it went in but have you any thoughts Martin on the relationship of the seed sown to what comes up ? What that change looks like ? And how it might be expressed at the moment ?
Hi David
I guess my response is a little speculative, and is biased by one’s perspective and expectation. In general I think we have to be careful about expectation (let’s say from 23 years ago) will be based on our history and journey to that point – I am thinking of Peter and ‘you are the Christ’… leading to ‘no way are you to die’. So answering personally, 23 years ago began for me ‘sowing seeds for revival’, and the expectation was based on books on history I had read, e.g., the welsh revival of 1904.
So jumping ahead. Very soon there could be a final generation (and taking God our of the picture!!) with climate catastrophes. So I anticipate that this might just push us in the direction of welcoming an incredible ‘move’ of God in the world… or we face a generation that will birth something new the other side of this crisis (crises?). Either way we are poised at a time of history that is heavy with potential. As we observe what is taking place I suggest there is something very strong rising in the world. Yes extremism, hatred, phobias that dehumanise, and something that God seems to be in. I am very provoked that somehow believers should be carrying Jesus, manifesting the presence of Jesus in those settings where there seems to be God present… the opportunity will be to see God be given a ‘name’, a ‘face’ – how will that happen but through those who have been touched by the name and face of God.
So where am I going with this?
The seed has moved from the ‘seed is the word of God’ sown into good soil (thank you 1990s), to that of the ‘seed is the daughters / sons of God’ sown into the field, the field is ‘the world’ and up come two classes of grain: wheat and tares. However ‘an enemy came and sowed’ that seed after the good seed (people) had been sown.
So we had better be where we are meant to be… in the field.