"Mary's Prophetic Journey: The Dark Night of the Soul and Resurrection!"
By Jill Austin
"Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene." Luke 19:25The disciples fled to save their lives. Mary was kneeling in the shadow of the cross, weeping, screaming in anguish as her firstborn Son hung naked and bloody. The ominous thunder was crowded out by Jesus' agonizing cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Mary sobs, "Why, God? Why? Why have You forsaken Him? Why have You forsaken me? He was supposed to deliver all of us. He was our salvation and now He's gone. If You really loved us why would You allow this?"
Unable to See the Big Picture
Mary's anguished heart bled under the shadow of a Roman cross, powerless to intervene. Her Son and her prophetic promises were dying. She had no revelation of the resurrection. She couldn't see the raging demonic battle with Jesus, the mighty warrior, snatching the keys of death and hell by the power of His shed blood. After waiting for thirty-three years, everything was dying--it looked like complete and utter failure.
With Jesus in the prime of His life and in the midst of a tremendous revival, He's dying on the cross--and so is Mary. She was in a crisis of faith, and the Father had turned His face away. She was devastated and felt abandoned and betrayed.
Are you in a midlife crisis? Mary was in her late forties when her whole world caved in. We want to believe that the Lord will rescue us at the last moment, but often His plan is to crucify us. Everything dies at the cross: Your relationships, ministry, agendas, reputation, finances--stripped bare for all to see. No one dies gracefully.
Persevering through the Fire to Come Out As GoldAs you hit bottom, you hear the tormenting voice of the enemy whispering, "Your life is almost over and you have nothing to show for it. Where is your God now?" But as God takes you through these hot, purifying fires, He works gold in the depth of your being. He gives you a love that can't be quenched by despairing circumstances. The challenge is to really believe in the goodness of God.
If you cry out to be part of the Bride, then you need to be identified with the sufferings of the Cross. In the midst of great agony and pain, when no one is there, Jesus holds you. A deeper intimacy of bridal love takes place as you cling to Him during horrendous times of suffering. We all need to cry out in total surrender, "Lord, I've nowhere to go. You're my all in all."
Resurrection"Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, 'Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?' So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together saying, 'The Lord is risen indeed...'" Luke 24:31-34
Jumping up and down with ecstatic joy, Mary burst out, "He's alive! He's risen!"
"When I heard those words, my heart nearly burst as I ran to see for myself. I thought I cried all my tears on Golgotha, but when our eyes met, it was like a flood. As I ran into His open arms, He scooped me up and spun me around in joyous laughter.
"These times we shared were the most precious of my whole life. That made it easier to release Him--again. As I watched Him ascend, I prayed again, 'Lord, be it unto me as You will, for the rest of my life.'"
Resurrection of Broken DreamsOut of great death, comes great life! Mary's prophetic promises were limited by her worldview. She saw Jesus as King of the Jews over the little nation of Israel during her life. In reality, He was King of Kings and Lord of Lords for all people and all time. At the Cross, He crucifies our limited view concerning the fulfillment of our prophetic destiny and resurrects it to His eternal view. The Lord revives broken dreams, but they rarely look like we expect them to.
"Explosions of glory! The tangible presence of the Holy Spirit! Now, it was not just me who was overshadowed, but all one hundred twenty of us. Tongues like fire fell and we were gloriously baptized in the Holy Spirit. We couldn't keep the news to ourselves and we ran, pushing each other out the door and down the narrow staircase to tell everyone."
"We were so excited that we gave ourselves to prayer night and day, sharing all we had, and loving each other so much. We grew from one hundred twenty to three thousand to five thousand! Signs, wonders and miracles followed as we told everyone about Jesus. It should be easy to grow the Church until we see Jesus coming again in the clouds."
The Power of The Holy SpiritThey were baptized in the Holy Spirit and the Church was set ablaze--just like the Lord wants your life to be ignited now. They received the gifts of tongues and the courage to be radical and passionate lovers of Jesus Christ. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was, and still is, a ministry of multiplication, intimacy and partnership.
When the Holy Spirit moves through you, it's not just for your benefit, but it's to bring conviction, salvation, healing and deliverance to suffering humanity. Mary was a carrier of the glory of God. Are you willing to be a carrier to bring the glory to your family, neighborhood and workplace? Are you willing to birth revival?
Gospel Spread Through WarfareIt was anything but easy for Mary and the early Church. Martyrdom and persecution scattered the believers, resulting in the spread of the Gospel to other nations. Mary's journey on earth continued not only with revival, but also seasons of tremendous warfare--cycles of life and death, maturing her toward bridal love.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You resurrect our promises into something so much bigger than anything we could ever imagine. Thank You that when the seed falls to the ground and dies, You spring forth a harvest of righteousness and peace. You shatter our expectations with Your goodness. I love You, Jesus.
Jill Austin
Master Potter Ministries
Email: info@masterpotter.com
