Have you ever asked God for a prophetic word, at the beginning of a new season, or New Year?

Ahead of 2021, I decided to spend a couple of hours in prayer.

My prayers were along the lines of: “Jesus is there one word or verse that will prepare me for 2021?”

His response: “prayer.”

In 2021 Jesus is calling me to pray. He’s leading me to learn something through dedicating myself to prayer, in a way I haven’t done so before.

I feel inspired to physically make a prayer space and go into that place every day – with expectation and abandonment to God.

It’s an invitation, a “show up and I will show you how” or a “meet me there” kind of call.

Maybe He’s calling you, too? If so, I want to offer three nuggets, on the subject of prayer.

1. In Prayer, You Will Receive God’s Battle Plan

Whilst praying over 2021, I felt led to this famous bible story:

“[God said to Joshua] See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and it’s fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

Joshua 6: 2-5, NIV, my brackets.

Joshua was leader of Israelite armies, thousands and thousands of years ago! Here’s the scene that the verses above describe: God gave Joshua instruction on how to conquer a walled city named Jericho.

This battle plan was specific and, when I think about it, absolutely crazy! It required surrender – giving God complete control of what looked like an impossible situation. Instead of strategy – surrender. Instead of attack – praise.

In 2021, I feel like God wants some of us to learn something wonderful about surrender. He wants us to discover where surrender leads. This year is about being out of control and really devoted to Him.

When I read the above passage – I think of the Israelites marching in silence for six days. And then I picture that shout on day seven. After so much surrender – what would their praise sound like?

It reminds me of another bible story found in Luke, chapter 1. A man, named Zechariah, doubts what God says to Him and so an angel silences Him.

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Luke 1: 19, NIV.

When Zechariah is unmuted, He is filled with the Holy Spirit and He praises God:

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.”

Luke 1 67 – 69, NIV.

After truly surrendering to God in prayer – what will my fight-song be?

What is the shout of praise I give from my heart when all is surrendered? When I am not holding on to anything, but God?

And… what about you? Ask yourself those questions… What will your song of surrender sound like?

2. In Prayer, Immovable Walls Will Be Broken

Jericho was a city with walls. The bible reads:

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

Joshua 6: 1, NIV.

Another version puts it like this:

Jericho was shut up tight as a drum because of the People of Israel: no one going in, no one coming out.

Jericho 6: 1, MSG.

What really gets me is that the armies praised God before these strong walls of Jericho came down. Before the battle was won – they worshipped God as though the victory was fully theirs. The bible says:

The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!

Joshua 6:16, NIV.

You may be thinking of a situation that’s tough right now – maybe you need to see victory, you want some walls to be broken down.

Although I have those situations in my life, I feel like God is showing me that the walls that really need to come down… are in me.

What areas of my life are closed off to God, like those walls of Jericho?

Want to know the first thing that came to my mind, when I asked myself the above question? Fear.

Those walls built inside of me, by the hands of fear, must come down. There will be a day in heaven where Father God wipes every tear from my eye, (Revelation 21:4.) But here on earth there are parts of me that are hard as rock – parts where pain has forged walls of fear within my soul. And I need to give those walls up in surrender to the one who has healed, the one who is healing and the one who will heal all of me.

God whispers: “Just show up. Just be with me.” In prayer and surrender He will break those stoney, fear-built walls down.

Let me ask you: What areas of your life are closed off to God, like those walls of Jericho?

3. In Prayer, You Can Give Everything to God

Going back to that famous battle of Jericho, I find it so interesting that God instructs Joshua’s army to stay silent until the seventh day, which was to contain glorious praise:

But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 

Joshua 6: 10, NIV.

It’s that idea of consecration that amazes me. These people dedicated themselves to God’s instruction, to the point where they marched silently until they could praise loudly.

This year, it doesn’t matter if I am not seen or heard, it matters that God is seen and heard and praised loudly. It matters that glory be given to Him and not me. I’m not going to speak up, until I can praise. I want to be like Joshua’s army – they were consistent in obedience, persistent in prayer and led by the presence of God.

Once they entered Jericho, they didn’t forget God. The bible says:

They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Joshua 6: 21, NIV.

When you step into what God has promised you, make sure you don’t boast or brag or covet or grab the limelight. Go in and sacrifice everything to God.

I don’t feel like I can give you instruction regarding 2021 other than this: turn it all over to God.

It’s not about planning your week, your month, your year – it’s about surrendering all of your days to Him. It’s about actually thanking God for all He has done, and all He will do, this week.

Honestly, I think some of us are supposed to go against everything that we think we should do and, instead, surrender to what God can do. I think it’s about pursuing God’s presence, above all else. That will practically look different for each one of us.

For me, this is the year I will constantly ask myself questions – is God a priority for me today? Am I living as though God is my number one today? What would my week look like if God were my priority?

Could you do the same?

2021: I’ll See You on My Knees!

For me, this is a year that requires a rug to kneel on! This is a year that is full of excitement and wonder, like I’ve never known it. This is a year where walls come crashing down in my soul. A year of getting closer to God. A year in which I start to realise that pain is just temporary and God’s healing is forever.

What kind of year will it be for you? Will you give this one to a good God? Will you surrender this one to a God that can really lead you in victory, even though victory might not look as you expect?

This is the year in which some of us need to let go. Not just loosen our grip, but really let God take that thing out of your hand, for good. This is the year in which we must live like we believe God’s strategies are better than anything we could ever come up with.

Mark my words: this is the year in which, if we surrender, God will come through for us, in miraculous and powerful ways.