It was a few days ago, as I was enjoying a late night walk an amazing awareness of God's presence came upon me. This was certainly a much needed time of fellowship with the Father. I felt much freedom and it seemed as though my many burdens and responsibilities suddenly left me. In this time, I began to ask many questions and to that I received abundant revelation. One such being this:
This harsh and frigid winter is a symbol of the state the body of Christ is in, in regards to Japan. In a cold winter, nobody spends time outside, they focus on keeping themselves warm inside their homes. So the body of Christ is not physically present in the communities here in Japan. They are focused on their own, intending to keep the flames of faith going in their own churches, but even that is a challenge they struggle with.
Oh how this has been a long winter!! I hate it and so God has brought to mind that He also hates the spiritual winter here. It reminds me of the tale of C.S. Lewis, where the land Narnia has had winter for 100 years. However, the spiritual winter in Japan exceeds even that. The Spirit of God touched this land with the arrival of missionary Francis Xavier, over 450 years. The pouring out that followed in the next 50-100 years lead to over a third of the nation turning to the cross.
So to what purpose and to what season shall we enter? How long will winter last until it is spring? These questions I do not know, but there shall come a time, and a season for the Spirit to return and bring a newness and life again to this place.
