Eyes Fixed on Jesus in Troubling Times
By Kay Horner
The church prayer meeting opened with worship songs, a Scripture reading, and the usual prayer requests. In customary mode, I knelt to pray with my Bible and prayer journal open before me. However, I seemed to encounter the spiritual equivalent of Moses’ words: “The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze [giving no rain and blocking all prayers], and the earth which is under you, iron [hard to plow and yielding no produce]” (Deut. 28:23, amp).
Nevertheless, I persisted with praise, worship, petition, and listening for the voice of the Lord. After a while, words began to flow from my spirit like the tears streaming from my eyes and onto the pages of my journal. I sensed the Holy Spirit was speaking about our church and surrounding community. When war erupted in the Middle East a few weeks later, I realized these words conveyed greater significance for the Kingdom of God:
You are dealing with the shadows in this place—shadows of the past that are being lengthened by the hurts, unforgiveness, leadership battles, hidden heart shadows, and present struggles for power and jockeying for position. The time has come for the dawning of a new day and a new way, free of tradition and control.
Shadows lengthen at the end of the day, but they vanish with the awakening of the dawn. I am challenging, even commanding, you to pray that the “sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings” (Mal. 4:2).
“And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted” (Isa. 30:26, nasb).
Then my people will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall as they tread down the wicked—the magnifier of shadows.
War and Conflict
Struggles for power and jockeying for position existed before Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Debate surrounds possible dual meanings of passages such as Isaiah 14, which refers to a king attempting to raise his throne “above the stars of God” and “ascend above the heights of the clouds,” making himself “like the Most High” (vs. 12–15).
A similar vying for position is described in Ezekiel 28 when the exalted heart of a created being, claiming to be God, is corrupted and ultimately brought down. Later, John the Revelator is shown a war in heaven between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels, who were not strong enough and were thrown down. He clearly identifies this dragon as “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).
The human conflict that began with Cain and Abel intensified with Ishmael and Isaac. Jacob and Esau faced leadership struggles from the womb that continued among their descendants throughout the Old Testament. Battles between Jews and Gentiles, the Law and grace, were evident in the New Testament.
From early modern history until today, we have consistently witnessed brothers fighting against brothers in the land of Israel and in the Church. Some of you reading this may be struggling with hurt, unforgiveness, and hidden heart shadows that threaten to eclipse your faith in the “Son” of righteousness, our Healer, and Prince of Peace. The fractures remain unhealed.
Propagator of Fear
The length of a shadow changes as the angle of the sun changes. It is the longest in the early morning and late afternoon. As we near the return of the Lord, the shadows seem to be lengthening rapidly. People are aware of the turmoil around our world which heightens fear and confusion. The “end of the world” scenarios combined with threats of terrorists within our borders, wars around the world, discussions of nuclear possibilities, and much more fuel this fear.
Rather than allowing our hearts to be overwhelmed by what we see in the media or hear from end-time, doomsday prophets, we must recognize that Satan, the father of lies, is the author of confusion and the primary propagator of fear. He always writes fictional narratives.
However, Christ—the way, the truth, and the life—has clearly said knowing the truth brings freedom. The key to our freedom from the fear of lengthening shadows is to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2). He will instruct us how to pray and anticipate God’s work amid the turmoil.
Prayer Insights from Jesus
Let’s focus briefly on Jesus after His last visit to the temple. As He sat with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, they would have had a full view of the sacred temple that He prophesied would be destroyed. Undoubtedly, the western sun magnified the lengthening shadows making the gigantic walls and massive stones appear even more imposing and majestic. Only four close followers—Peter, James, John, and Andrew—came to Him privately saying, “Tell us . . . when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3).
Do you suppose they recalled His earlier words to the Jews, following the cleansing of the temple: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19)? Perhaps, John’s clarification did not come until after the resurrection: “But the temple he had spoken of was his body” (v. 21). Their perspective of Jesus had been skewed by the shadows. Regardless, the Teacher proceeded to address their questions and unspoken fears.
The Olivet Discourse is recorded in each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21). Its apocalyptic language can be overwhelming as Jesus speaks of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilence, false prophets, apostasy, persecution, the abomination of desolation, and great tribulation!
However, the Greek word, apokalýptō, simply means “uncover, bring to light, reveal.” Paul told the Romans, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Rom. 1:17, italics added).
If we are going to live by faith and not fear, we need to focus primarily on Jesus. Allow Him to unveil valuable insights and practical instructions like He gave these four inquiring disciples in response to their questions.
We’ll incorporate only a few in our prayer targets.
- Beware that you are not fooled! (See Matthew 24:4–5; Mark 13:21–23.) Consistently keep your eyes upon Jesus by worshiping and exalting Him as the true King of kings and Lord of lords. Know the truth! He is God’s only anointed Messiah.
- Don’t panic or give in to your fears (Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:7). If “perfect love drives out fear,” and “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” (1 John 4:16, 18), maintain a deepened, personal relationship with God and people of faith. Pray for the body of Christ to live Great Commandment lifestyles as we unite to pursue the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 22:37–39, 28:19–20).
- “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations” (Mark 13:10). Pray for the gospel of heaven’s Kingdom to “be proclaimed all over the world, providing every nation with a demonstration of the reality of God” (Matt. 24:14).
- “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt. 24:44). Pray for the Holy Spirit to permeate your life and the Church with passionate anticipation for the return of the Lord as we actively wait, watch, and pray. Join with others locally, nationally, and globally, seeking God for a true Christ-awakening among His people and the lost (see Mark 13:33–37).
Jesus’ discourse is bookended with a focus on exalting Him, as earlier He declared, “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matt. 23:39, italics added).
After He leaves the Mount of Olives and arrives in Bethany, a woman with an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment pours it on His head as a prelude for His burial. He says of her, “She has done a beautiful thing to me. . . . Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Matt. 26:10, 13).
Those who are faithfully worshiping, serving, and watching for the returning Redeemer can be confident and even excited that we might be witnessing the preludes of Jesus’ return.
Don’t Fear the Shadows
A few days after the church prayer meeting, I was in a smaller prayer group and continued to meditate on what the Lord had spoken to me. The Holy Spirit encouraged us with these words: Do not fear the dark shadows because you dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. My cloud was the shadow by day that protected the Israelites from the heat of the wilderness sun. I am a shade by day and defense by night, so you are covered 24/7 in every situation or circumstance.
Before the day of the Lord—His second coming to earth—the knowledge of His glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). Like the rising sun at the dawn of a new day, Christ’s glory will bring salvation, healing, and freedom to His people.
When He comes for the final time, everything will be made right. God’s people will leap for joy like young calves released to run free at last.
KAY HORNER is executive director of the Awakening America Alliance and a member of America’s National Prayer Committee.
