When Jesus returns, he isn't coming back for a harem: a Welsh bride, English bride, French bride and so on. He's coming back for one bride who is whole. Although that's obvious, there's a difference between knowing it in your head and really understanding what that means and for me, it's been a bit of a revelation! The Bible says that God sets the boundaries of each nation (Acts 17:26) but how are we choosing today to honour the divide? With love?
In our physical bodies, we have individual parts yet our blood runs through our veins and arteries without borders. Imagine your blood running, inside your leg, then stopping when it got to the foot because the foot had a different purpose or function and the leg didn't understand it. Or if the messages sent from the nerves in your fingers weren't received by your hand because it decided it wasn't valuable information. Do we, as part of the body of Christ do that? Do we put restrictions on what or from whom we receive the good things of Jesus because of our prejudices? I know I have and I've heard more than a few times that something is "too American" without any further inspection to see if there's a move of God waiting for us. How much this must grieve the Holy Spirit.
Each tribe and nation has its characteristics and quirks that give us our uniqueness. But the fear of losing our identity can be so consuming we miss the opportunity to gain what Jesus has for us through our brothers and sisters, who have a different culture and sometimes a different language. We can fail to see the beauty of God's character, displayed in another nation, which is supposed to edify and sharpen us.
God intends for us to be networked and connected in fellowship with the other parts of the body, especially those he has placed physically close by. When I was pondering this with Father God recently, He said "I know who your neighbours are. I placed them there." I'm not a historian and I've no idea whether empire-building came out of a genuine desire to expand the kingdom of God, or if it started with pride and arrogance hiding behind "a noble cause". What I do know is that Satan takes great delight when we join him as the accuser. Every time we agree, we empower. As children of God, our words and agreements carry great authority, no matter our place in society. While most of us probably haven't asked for fire to fall and destroy a city like James and John wanted to, (Luke 9:54) every negative remark, added up, brings destruction just the same. God said "let there be light" and there was. As his children, who have authority, made in his image, what are we calling into reality?
The English are arrogant!
Is that true? Or are we listening to the accuser? Could it be that we, in Wales, are lacking the confidence to believe we can boldly enter into God's presence, and have responded with jealousy and criticism? What lie is the enemy whispering over Wales to keep her from becoming a nation whose holiness shines like a beacon across the globe, calling people into a depth of God's presence and glory never seen before?
Welsh people are slow!
Satan's favourite lies are those that are nearly true. We are a nation that takes its time. We're not in a rush! So we probably are slow, but the distortion is that Welsh people are inferior. I've come across it so many times and I'm still learning to bat it off before it lands on me.
Of course, we need to recognise any distortion that happens when a nation isn't drawing near to God. But rather than using barriers that cause hostility and disconnect, we can use the filters of discernment to intercede and bless our neighbouring nation, Lean into Father God and ask what he wants to pour out over both England and Wales. What is it He wants us to release and what He wants us to bind? If either nation, as part of the body, is sick or struggling, all of the body is sick and struggling.
The Spirit of the Lord says "Arise and shine Wales. Throw off the blanket that has kept your fire from burning. Dig out the deep wells across the land and if they're dry, dig new wells! No longer are you to drink from old riverbeds that have dried up or old springs that have become foul and stagnant. Seek my fresh life-giving water that is abundant. Jump in my ice-cold river that is too deep for you to touch the floor. Allow the cold to wake you from your slumber. Do you think it's through independence that your land will be healed? Does my word not say if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land?
I chose Gideon, whose clan was the weakest and the least of his family to be my mighty warrior. It was David, the least of Jesse's sons I chose as my king. I delight in using what the world overlooks to display my glory. As Jonathan knitted his soul to David's, laying down his chance to build on the kingdom of his father, so have many of my sons and daughters, in obedience, left their homes across the border to call Wales "home". I know the cost of leaving familiar territory and opportunities left behind to enter strange and sometimes hostile land. Keep serving me. Don't let your heartbreak for what could have been, become a stronghold. Silence the enemy when he woos you with great plans of the kingdom you could still build for yourselves. Make serving me your priority and I will lead you."
1 Corinthians 12:18-26
But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.
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