You have been called and chosen for such a time as this!
Can I be honest? Sometimes that statement sounds a little cliché to me. As someone who has grown up in church, I have heard those words (originating in Esther 4:14) many, many times. But here’s the thing: We cannot become so familiar with a phrase that we miss what God is saying through it.
Our job is to be so in tune with Holy Spirit so that we recognize the season we’re in and partner with Him in what He is doing on the earth. We are to be like the sons of Issachar who “understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take” (1 Chronicles 12:32, NLT).
God is unchanging, yet always doing a new thing – do you perceive it?! (Isaiah 43:19). There are moments when our eternal God breaths on something in our earthly time and space, creating an opportunity for more of Heaven’s Kingdom to manifest itself in the world. In other words, God intentionally highlights something He wants to use in a specific season for a particular purpose. We must be paying attention to what He is doing, so we can partner with Him in the way He desires!
The statement, “for such a time as this” is a timeless truth that reminds us of how God works. God never changes, but He does operate according to times and seasons, uniquely using different things at different times. Ecclesiastes 3:1, and the verses that follow, explain it best – “there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens” (NIV).
And that’s why we are alive here and now… called and chosen for such a time as this! It’s not a cliché Christian statement. It’s the heart of the Father!
The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. I want to be so in sync, so in tune, with God that I’m doing the right thing at the right time in the right way! Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing. I want to do the same!
If you have breath in your lungs, you are the one God has handpicked to be part of how He is moving in this season, right here and right now! You are an epicenter for Heaven to touch earth! I believe we are on the edge of the greatest move of God that humanity has ever seen. I believe that we can be the generation that partners with Holy Spirit to change the world. But I also believe that if we don’t – if we don’t partner with Holy Spirit – we can miss this moment and our generation will eventually pass away without seeing the fullness of the promises fulfilled.
But I don’t want that to be my story! I want revival in my lifetime and I want to be part of it!
Time is short. We owe the world an encounter with Jesus. That’s why we’re alive – our purpose is to know Him and make Him known! It’s really that simple.
For the past couple of years, I have sensed Holy Spirit speaking to me about this new season that we are now currently in. I’ve felt Him share His heart with me about things He wants to breathe on and use in powerful ways. I’ve carried these things in my heart and now I feel it’s time to share them here. In this post, and in the ones to follow, I hope to simply unpack some God-given thoughts and prophetic insights for this season.
There’s a passage of scripture where the prophet Zechariah sees a prophetic vision about the people of God:
Zechariah 1:18-21, NIV
18 Then I looked up, and there before me were four horns [which represent four demonic powers]. 19 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns [or the powers] that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four CRAFTSMEN. 21 I asked, “What are these coming to do?” He answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise their head [which literally means they were in despair and had no hope left], BUT THE CRAFTSMEN have come to terrify them and throw down these horns [powers]…!
The people were scattered and hopeless. The demonic forces had left them discouraged, depressed, and disillusioned. Sound familiar? Sounds much like a news broadcast or a social media feed from 2023.
BUT THE CRAFTSMEN – THE CREATIVES
God handpicked the creatives to rise up and dismantle the works of darkness!
I don’t like to give the enemy any credit, but it’s pretty obvious that demonic forces are very active on the earth. In fact, it’s the only enemy we have! We’re not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the demonic. Which – spoiler alert – Jesus has already stripped of its authority! But even though it seems like the enemy is running amuck right now, I believe that there is an army of creatives that are arising to terrify the darkness and throw down these demonic powers, bringing freedom and restoration to people and nations!
God is breathing on the creative – our creativity – our creative expression – on us, as creatives. God has put an instrument, a weapon, in our hand called creativity. And look what happens when we use it… the next verses of Zechariah read:
Zechariah 2:1-5, NIV
1 Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem [or Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, your city!], to find out how wide and how long it is.” 3 While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem [your city!] will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. 5 AND I MYSELF WILL BE A WALL OF FIRE AROUND IT,’ DECLARES THE LORD, ‘AND I WILL BE ITS GLORY WITHIN.’
Whoa! The creatives created a space for the FIRE and the GLORY of the Lord to fill not just a people, but a whole place! Revival in the region! Heaven coming to earth!
And maybe you’re thinking right now, “Well, that sounds great, but I’m really not that creative.” Can I be bold and say that is a lie! YOU are a creative. Why? Because you are made in the image and likeness of Creator God. You have His creativity living on the inside of you. Whether you think you’re creative or not, God has given you the capacity to create!
Creativity is not limited to the arts. Often times we think that creatives are only the artists, the writers, the filmmakers, the designers, the musicians, and so forth. But creativity is so much more than that. Our English word “create” simply means to “bring something into existence.”
Even if you’re not “artistic,” you are creative. Creativity is who God is and He made you just like Him. God is so many things… He is provider, He is healer, He is protector, He is holy. But out of all the ways we could initially meet Him in His written word, God chooses to introduce Himself first and foremost as Creator.
The first five words of Scripture: “In the beginning God created” (Genesis 1:1). Before He is anything else, He is Creator. And God made us after His own image and likeness — His nature — meaning if He is a creative, so are we.
God has given you the capacity to create, to produce, to bring something into existence. In fact, He commands it! “Be fruitful and multiply!” (Genesis 1:28). It’s what we do and it’s who we are. We bring Heaven’s realities into existence on the earth! And as we create with Him, we literally change the world!
Everyone is going to create in a different way: If you’re a mom or a dad, you can create a loving environment for the children in your home to flourish. You’re a creative. If you’re a nurse or a doctor, you can find the right medicines and treatment to help a patient get well. You’re a creative.
If you’re a teacher or a coach, you can design a learning plan to help a struggling student understand a new concept. You’re a creative. If you’re an engineer, you can generate solutions to complex problems, making people’s lives better. You’re a creative.
Don’t disqualify yourself just because you don’t “feel” creative or because society doesn’t categorize you as a creative. You have the capacity to create! God’s creative pulse is beating on the inside of you! That being said, let me now speak specifically to those who are creative in the artistic sense… especially those artists who may struggle to see how God can use their creative expression.
The first time Scripture records the Spirit of God coming upon and filling someone for a specific task is when Bezalel is chosen as a craftsman for the Tabernacle.
Exodus 31:1-5, NLT
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4 He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!”
When it came time to build the Tabernacle — the earthly tent that would house the glory — God appointed and anointed a craftsman (an artisan) to be the one to create the space for His presence to dwell. Wow! There’s something about the arts that attracts the Creator Himself. There’s something about an artist co-creating with Him that releases His glory.
If you’re an artist, you will use your specific medium to capture people’s eyes and ears to experience something they haven’t before. You’re a creative. But you probably already knew that! What you might not have realized, however, is that when God wanted to put the enemy in check, He sent the creatives! When God wanted to bring revival fire and glory, He sent the creatives! And He still does!
We are in a Zechariah 1 season. Creative, you have been called and chosen for such a time as this! You are the catalyst of revival! It’s time to rise up. It’s time to dismantle the darkness. It’s time to create.
I believe this prophetic call is for all of us as ones made in the image of Creator God. However, I also believe there is a unique calling specifically for the artists in this season. As I mentioned earlier, we’ll continue to unpack this thought in future posts, but for now let me leave you with this:
It’s time to pen that song, write that book, film that movie. It’s time to paint that masterpiece, record that symphony, fashion that garment. In and outside of the four walls of church. Whatever your creative medium is… and wherever you use it... it is an epicenter for Heaven to touch earth.
Create!