DREAMS AND PURPOSE ARE BIRTHED THROUGH THE BARREN WOMB OF YOUR WIFE

It’s so exciting that I get to share again and always amazes me that God is so involved and so personal with his timing in our lives.

There is nothing that pleases me more as a parent, than to watch my sons living in their full potential and thriving. When they are engaged in their gifting and their passion, they become and excited about life and operate in their “Mojo”. I can just imagine How father God must feel when he watches and experiences us, his children, living in the fullness of all that he has made available to us. When we operate with passion and hope and are connected to what drives us and inspires us. He knows that we thrive when we are operating in his perfect plan and the joy we experience is powerful in affecting those around us.

My question to you this morning is:

  • “How is your Mojo?”
  • How much joy are you experiencing through what you are engaging in?”
  • “How is your spiritual womb looking. Are you stuck, or are you fully engaged in all that God has for you?”

God has a beautiful life for us to live. He has dreamed great things for us to do. Today I want to talk about how I have come to understand that God wants to birth these plans for us through the barren womb of our ‘wife’. To understand this language of ‘wife’, I would like you to bear with me as I unpack the metaphors of scripture and how I came to understand ‘wife’.

  • LET’S LOOK AT THE WORD BARREN WOMB

TO BE BARREN… is to be sterile and unproductive, not able to produce children or fruit.

OUR WOMB is the place where we incubate our children, our dreams, our hopes, the promises we are holding out for.

My barren womb, is my inability to get ahead …

  • It is the general feeling of unanswered promises and not being able to see breakthrough. This can be in our current circumstances. It can be the struggle in finding our purpose or life’s work that we can nurture as our own. For me personally my barren womb represents not feeling like I have found my exact groove to function fully in what I believe I am capable of. I know I can be more and I yearn for more. There is a tugging in my inner being for more and to produce more.

There’s nothing that steals our joy as much us not living in the “more” that we instinctively know is available for our life.

The scenario could look different for you:

  • Perhaps you are waiting on God for a job, or a better job, or a purpose to get your teeth stuck into.
  • Perhaps you love what you do but the routine and demand of life just sucked away all the joy, and you feel trapped.
  • Perhaps you are more at the beginning of your adult career and you are feeling confused because you just don’t see any answers and have no clarity about the future.
  • Perhaps you are like me, you know that you want more, but circumstances have kept you back, and you are still waiting for some promises to come through.

This morning I want to declare that God is so involved in our wombs. He made a promise since beginning of time to Abraham and Sarah that He wanted to birth, bless and build a legacy through Sarah’s barren womb, and He has been committed to it ever since. God intends to fulfill this promise through us and our ‘barren wombs’.

Genesis 12:2-3 (GOD’S PROMISE TO US THROUGH ABRAHAM)

  • 2 “I will make you into a great nation,
  • and I will bless you;
  • I will make your name great,
  • and you will be a blessing.
  • 3 I will bless those who bless you,
        and whoever curses you I will curse;
  • and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you    .” 

  • God wants to make us productive, to bare FRUIT,
  • to build and produce SPIRITUAL OFFSPRING … a NATION
  • God wants to give us reputation … name great
  • God wants to BLESS us
  • And for all people to be BLESSED through us …
  • AND HE WANTS TO DO IT THROUGH THE BARREN WOMB OF OUR WIFE ‘SARAH’

God is intentional in scripture with details. I have been unpacking three stories that lead me to realize what God is wanting us to know about birthing promise through the barren womb of our “wife”.

The 1st scripture is found in the story of SAMPSON … GENESIS 14V4

  • Sampson is a child of promise given to his mother who had a barren womb. This child was going to be raised to be a judge that would save the Israelites from the oppression of the Philistines. Sampson was brought up with strictly to be a Nazarite with a set of instructions that would keep him consecrated to God.

In Genesis14, he marries a pagan woman against his parents’ wishes, but scripture tells us that God was in it because He was seeking an opportunity to confront the Philistines.

In my previous teaching about the Judges we understood that the Philistines represent:(Worldly thinking, intimidation, lies, opposed to the ‘TRUTH’ They steal the ‘ARK’ God’s presence.)

  • So, the issue of Sampson’s wife being an opportunity and the word ‘wife’ captured my attention.
  •  I have also been studying the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What struck me is that the issue of finding the right “wife”, felt highlighted to me.

SEEKING A WIFE

Since God is intentional in his word and the repetition of this theme of looking for a wife made me think about what the word ‘wife’ would represent symbolically.

  • A WIFE IS … someone that a you would marry to build a family with, to have children and to build a legacy.
  • A WIFE IS … who you would partner yourself too, love, cherish and nurture, get up every morning to provide for and attend to.

So essentially it could mean the:

  • ‘project’, mission’, ‘vision’, ‘dream’ and purpose that you would partner yourself with to build a spiritual legacy and leave an impact on, so we are talking about the people we have influenced for Christ.

In the context of the promise God made Abraham in Genesis (GENESIS 12:2-3); we can also look at the next part of the promise in Genesis 17and 18

GENESIS 17:15-19

15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

GENESIS 18:10

10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

We know how the story ends and Isaac is born. But the commitment of God to his promise continues.

 When Abraham is about to die, he makes sure that his servant finds the

  • RIGHT WIFE for Isaac to live out this legacy and produce the children and offspring that God is talking about.
  • What struck me is that scripture emphasizes the fulfillment of the promise WILL come through the “WOMB” of Abrahams “wife”

Therefore we can say that the promise of legacy and inheritance will be brought about through these two components.

  • OUR BARREN WOMB = unproductive, sterile, not producing fruit
  • AND OUR WIFE = ‘project’, mission’, ‘vision’, ‘dream’ and purpose
  •         WHAT ‘wife’ does God want us to partner with?
  •        How do we find this WIFE?

If we continue reading in the story of Isaacs son Jacob, the issue of finding a wife is repeated.

  • I believe there is strategy in the story of these 3 generations: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for us to find the right ‘wife’ for us to partner ourselves to and find our MOJO.

GENESIS 24:  In this story …

Abraham sent his servant to search for a wife for his son Isaac in Haran amongst his family. This is where he had originally been called by God, to leave and go to a “Promised Land” he would show him.

Abraham had to find the right ‘wife’ for Isaac because God had promised to build a legacy through him and his wife.

  • …7“The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there.

  • Abraham knew that God would be the one to lead in the choosing.

  • …12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. 

By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

  • The servant’s prayer was very specific in setting up the circumstances for encountering the right wife. He describes and declares the details constantly thanking God for all that he has already done.

  • …15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
  • 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

  • God is so involved in this process of bringing the right wife for Isaac, that he answers swiftly.

  • …50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.

51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

  • The testimony of the servant with regards to Abraham’s request and the specific requirements of his prayer that were fulfilled, and how God had been faithful, confirmed in everyone’s spirits that the entire event had to be God.

  • …60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.”

  • Rebekah’s family echoed the promise of God for a legacy through Isaac and her, and that her children would have dominion in the land and conquer the enemies that they would one day have to face.

What we learn is that …

  1. We can trust God to go ahead of us and find the right ministry, vision for us to partner with.
  2. We can discuss specific details for God to confirm in our heart that we have in fact found the right ‘wife’, and set up the circumstances for divine connections.
  3. God will act swiftly and is in this with us. He wants to partner with us.
  4. God knows that our testimony will bring him glory when He brings everything into alignment.

… On 3.05.2019,   I had a significant dream.

Heavens factory of inventions and projects.

I was following the presence of a male, I cannot describe. I was absolutely mesmerized by him and wanted him exclusively to myself. I was following like I would a lover. He led me to an isolated place where we crossed a hanging walkway bridge towards an enormous secret factory, likened to a secret weapon and experimentation plant. We walked in through intimidating security and he showed me the Center of experiments and inventions. I knew I was in a Spiritual place because everything was flooded in fluorescent light. On different levels and platforms were small groups of spiritual beings inventing and brainstorming ideas and projects. One in particular caught my eye. I knew it was a phenomenon and I wanted to own it as my own invention. I immediately told my lover that that is the one that I want to own and have on earth to run with.

Then we had to leave and keep it and the place a secret. (there was more, but for me personally)

I have been eyeing out a property for sale in our street. There is something about it that has captures my curiosity.

The day after my dream, a friend of ours is cutting the grass at this particular property for sale in our street. He kindly allows me to venture in and view it off the record.

  • As I stepped in my heart was filled with vision and the dream of the night before completely ‘rocked’ me. My visual brain was running full speed as I could see all that I would like to do with the place and what would be possible.
  • I see a broadcast station of God’s goodness. The front of the property lends itself to accommodation for backpackers and guesthouse, run with a heart to love and share God’s heart. The property can house activities; such as Christian Surfers Youth, a studio running intuitive art workshops, Sozo’s painting with God, shell projects for healing and sustaining a gallery and shop, an information center for tourism and a surfing headquarters for my sons to run tours, workshops and sales.

The property had suffered a fire and was completely destroyed. Common sense would say that the place is a waste of time and money.

All I could say was: “What now Lord?” is it truly possible for me to own this project, this vision I have.?”

GENESIS 28 and 29:  In this second story …

GENESIS 28:2-4 …  ISAAC BLESSES Jacob and he leaves for HARAN to find a WIFE

So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.

 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

JACOB TOOK THE BLESSING OF FRUITFULNESS AND BLESSING OF INHERITANCE WITH HIM WHEN HE LEFT CANAAN

  1. Isaac blesses Jacob that he will be fruitful in this partnership, with his ‘wife’.

  1. He also declares that Jacob’s offspring and legacy may take possession of the land (conquer the enemies) and be victorious in ruling and reigning in their thought life from God’s perspective (which I explained in the teaching of Judges.)

  1. Jacob leaves the Promised land Canaan and heads back across the Jordan and into the “wilderness” land, back to where we find ‘wives’ with which to build legacy according to God’s plan. Metaphorically, we could imagine that Jacob represents us, now owning the inheritance and blessing of the Promised Land (but still a foreigner in the Promised land), heading back into the world in search of our ‘wife’ we need to marry ourselves to. However, now we go equipped with blessing and mandate (COMISSIONED SO TO SPEAK) and we head to Haran where we encounter the well.

Since God had been speaking with me about the well in my earlier research, the metaphor of a well became extremely important and especially “Jacobs well”

In the story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus at Jacob’s well … JOHN 4:4-8  

The well is where we meet with Jesus.

The well is where Jesus reveals his true identity.

The well is where Jesus asks us to work with him, and finds his satisfaction in us.

The well is where Jesus brings to our attention what we truly want and need.

  • This is important because we can have romantic dreams based on outside appearances. Coffee shop/ art gallery etc. …  but at the well spending time and talking with Jesus can reveal something else. A different dream, more in tune with what we really want.

The well is where Jesus talks to us about the future.

The well is where Jesus encounters with is so radically that a community is changed through our testimony.

  • And in this story of Jacob and Racheal, we learn that the well is …

The well is where we meet our wife. Abraham’s servant finds Rebekah there and Jacob finds Racheal.

GENESIS 29 (NIV)

  • 1Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.

This story tells us that Jacob had to go into open country to encounter the well. He would have had to leave his home, his comfort zone and all that he knew. He had no income or guarantee as to how it would all pan out. When he left, he just had his staff and the blessing of his father. We also know that God had met with him in a dream before crossing, confirming his promise and commitment to Jacob’s future. (I will unpack this in the next section.)

  • 2bThe stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

God does not include detail in scripture to embellish the story or create an interesting read. Details are there to give us more understanding. The stone was so large that it would take great power and strength to move. Scripture says that the shepherds had to gather together to move it.

  • 4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”

“We’re from Harran,” they replied.

5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

God had started setting the domino of strategy in place. Not only were these men from Harran, but they knew Laban, and knew him well enough to know that he was well. We are not talking about these days where we can stay in contact through technology. These men in open country, knew details. These details are important because they introduce Jacob to the very person he needs to meet, Rachel. God is all about Divine appointments.

  • 7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

This scripture made me think of us, myself included waiting for circumstances to be perfect before we make a move. Being a control freak, I like to have everything in place before I make a move. I believe that in this waiting, we can miss opportunities.

  • 9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.

God had gone ahead as He did in the search for Isaac’s wife, and orchestrated the events. God made sure that the right ‘wife’, Rachel, would be at the well at the right time. God goes ahead of us and ensures that the circumstances are set up like a chain of events for us to be divinely connected and meet the right people at the right time. I believe that it is so important that we are sensitive to Holy Spirit that in this chain of events so that we pick up our ques at the right time to collaborate with God. If we are not in tune, we miss out on what God is doing in our favor.

  • 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.

When Jacob sees Rachel, scripture says he kissed her and wept loudly! I believe that he found his Vision. His spirit was so moved, because in a moment:

What he desired …

What God wanted …

What was possible …

  • All came into one beautiful crescendo!

Conclusion

God is invested in our future and he has promised to make us fruitful in building a legacy through the vision and dreams that we are passionate about.

We can with confidence ask him to partner with us in searching out what will truly fill the ‘barren womb of our soul’ and we will birth a beautiful life that will bring Him Glory. What we encounter at the well, will not only stir us so deeply that it will mobilize us to move the stone, but our passion will shape communities of people. These communities will learn to usher in God’s Kingdom and grow in having dominion as Isaac spoke over Jacob’s offspring. In so doing a great nation is built.