Excerpt from Church Alive Album by our Mother Foundress

"I have come to set the earth on Fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk 12:49)

There was an action that took place on Pentecost in the Upper Room. There was the driving wind, God breathing, literally blowing His wind, His breath into them. Scripture says, “Tongues as of Fire appeared, which parted and came to rest on each of them” (Acts 2:3). The word “rest” is very anointed in Scripture, particularly for contemplatives because that is contemplative prayer at the very beautiful, full degree. When we are at this level, we rest because the Spirit is resting upon us. We rest so that God can do all the action. At this level of prayer, we become receivers. So the Holy Spirit came and rested upon them on Pentecost.

Whenever that Fire comes to rest upon us, It begins to drive us into the desert as It drove all the prophets into the desert, and as it drove Jesus into the desert as well. It drives us into the desert because many things happen in the desert, especially intimacy – union, aloneness with God – so we can begin to allow that Word within us to take root and grow.

Prophets come from the desert because this is where they hear God and learn what He wants to do. Then a prophet does with that Word whatever God is indicating. For some, like the prophets in the Old Testament, it might be to speak that word out. For intercessors, we hear the Word and then we pray it out. For all of us, that means to take that Word and live it out. So we need to go into the desert. We need to have the Holy Spirit drive us there every day because we need to become prophets. We need to become a prophetic Church. We need to receive His revelations again. Jesus said, “The words I spoke to you are Spirit and Life” (Jn 6:63).

“So I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart.” (Hos 2:16)