DIVINE CONNECTIONS
“My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
People often ask me how I met someone and my answer is always the same, it was simply the hand of God who opened the door and I walked through.
When the Lord connects people, it is often in most unlikely ways and it is sometimes hard to see the reasons behind these, but history reveals the hand of the Lord at work.
The connections prior to the Revival in 1922 with Smith Wigglesworth in New Zealand are amazing.
Mr J Fullerton A missionary from Denmark serving with the China inland Mission was baptised with the Holy Spirit in a revival in Yunan, China. He moved under the direction of the Lord to Honan Province, where there was an amazing move of the Spirit and in a short space of time 9000 souls were saved. One night Fullerton was in Prayer in China and the Holy Spirit moved upon him to pray for New Zealand, because the Spirit had revealed to this group of believers that he desired to pour out his Spirit on that land in a dream. A Short time later while on furlough at his home in Denmark he met with the Evangelist Smith-Wigglesworth and asked him to pray about going to New Zealand. So it was that the Lord spoke to the heart of Wigglesworth to go to NZ. Fullerton agreed to meet Wigglesworth in Wellington NZ in April 1922. but Wigglesworth missed his steamer and was delayed for three weeks. Fullerton had to return to China before Wigglesworth arrived, but before he left he met with Pastor H Roberts who had been a regular contributor to the ministry of Fullerton. Roberts had been organising Prayer meetings asking for revival, in Wellington for some time and agreed to meet Wigglesworth and arrange meetings for him. Wigglesworth was unknown in NZ but Roberts had been involved in the Torrey meetings some time before and was able to rally people to attend the meetings. The first night in The Wellington Town Hall they had 800, the next night 1600 the third night 3000 and from then on up to 1000 people a night were unable to get into the hall. During the campaign it is estimated that 2000 souls were won for Christ, 1000’s were filled with the Holy Spirit, healed and impacted to carry the work on in many parts of NZ. (1)*
Godly connections saw fruit come forth. The key was that several people just did what God asked them to do. No more no less.
Pastor H Roberts supported a Missionary named Fullerton and ran prayer meetings for revival in Wellington. Fullerton received a vision for NZ and acted on it by praying and sharing his vision. God engineered a meeting between Fullerton & Wigglesworth where Fullerton shared his heart for revival in NZ. Wigglesworth set out to NZ with no invitation or known connections except Fullerton who went on ahead to see what he could arrange. Fullerton met his financial supporter Roberts, who through connections set up the meetings for Wigglesworth.The rest is history.
Several words have come forth in recent days notably the word by Graham Cooke in Christchurch last weekend, There are many other words by New Zealand Prophets as well. (go to the NZ Prophetic network to view) - It is certain that the Lord has been engineering the pathway of connection to this Kingdom gate for many years and these words are about to bear fruit.
The longer I walk in the Lord, the more I see His fingerprints on my life, I realize that He has been at work in natural and supernatural ways to make sure I have been in the right place at the right time.
The key to entering the gate of connection is committing your ways to the Lord, believing that He will direct your path. Doing what the Lord has asked us to do, no more, no less.
Perhaps like Fullerton you have been given a vision of revival in another land. Then Pray it through, until the connections come..
Perhaps like Roberts you have been asked to support a ministry. Then send a cheque to that work, The fruit may come in unexpected ways.
Perhaps like Wigglesworth you have been asked to go. Then make plans to go, it’s a small word but has big results.
One thing I am confident of, there will be Godly connections already in place to see the work fulfilled in your life.
(1) Extract taken from Wigglesworth Downunder by H V Roberts. (1951)
IAN JOHNSON ianjohn@xtra.co.nz
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