A Forty Day Fast
As we entered the Easter season of 2020, I began a forty-day fast. A couple of days into the fast, came the pandemic. What a challenge! But God gave me two prayer warriors whose prayers helped carry me through. And then at the end of the fast I heard this from the Lord. “Tarry there until you are endued with power.” I didn’t understand because I felt for 40 days all I had done was tarry. So, tarry where? Tarry how? That morning I wrote these words as I sat in my little prayer closet. I believe as He often does for me that God speaks as I write. This is it –
“Old dreams with new anointing by the power of the Holy Ghost will carry you into this next season and usher you through. You will go deep but you will also be required to navigate the currents in the deepest and sometimes loneliest places. You will think you are drowning, but take comfort in My heart and relax as best you can. Though it will be hard, try to stay above water and wait there…until you are endued with power. Then I will come pull you from the riptide. When I do and you are safely back on shore, when you come to, you will see that during the time of struggle this turned into a season of dreams come true…My dreams in you.”
The Old Dreams
So what are the old dreams? I dream of a life of missions. Is it crazy that in this hour, at this season of my life, in my heart I identify most with the missionaries. Those that only want to share the Gospel and love people they have only a partial clue about. I dream of them. I dream of teaching the Word and fulfilling the call to disciple. I dream of praying for others and seeing the miraculous. I dream of igniting others with the desire for prayer and the Word that He placed in me. I dream that God would take my writing (such as it is) and use it somehow. I dream of writing by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Missions, the Word, prayer, the miraculous, writing! It seems all over the place, but in Him, it is very precise.
An “Impossible” Awfully Big Dream!
According to Google, there are 195 nations in the world. During the pandemic, I took the blog “If anyone knows Melissa…,” which I had always been private, and made it “public.” I started also posting the Word daily on another blog, “a lamp and a light.” In 2022, I added the Podcast “a lamp and a light” and the companion podcast website http://www.lampandlight.org. It is just me and a few good friends reading God’s Word. It is not professional, doesn’t have alot of flowerly drama or much music. No, it is His Word read just as He asked of us. Today all the blogs, websites, and podcasts focus on spreading the Word of God. None of it has been “viral” success by the world’s standards. But little-by-little, Word-by-Word, I have seen God move and we have now reached 48,203 individuals from 170 nations. It fills me with joy to know that God has used these avenues to send His Word where I have not been able to physically go.
His Dream
I believe in these next years, we will touch the other 25 nations in some way. Won’t it be so amazing, when it is time to go to my heavenly home, to have touched every country in the world and to be greeted in heaven by those same nations? That is My His impossible awfully big dream!!!!
The Nations
On the list below are the nations touched by the blog and the Podcast. I always put up their flags and I hope on your device you can see them. Being in possession of a nations flag symbolizes victory. That is why I do it. Plus, I think they are beautiful.
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
A
Albania 🇦🇱
Algeria 🇩🇿
American Samoa 🇦🇸
Angola 🇦🇴
Antigua 🇦🇬
Argentina 🇦🇷
Armenia 🇦🇲
Austria 🇦🇹
Australia 🇦🇺
Azerbaijan 🇦🇿
B
Bahamas 🇧🇸
Bahrain 🇧🇭
Bangladesh 🇧🇩
Barbados 🇧🇧
Barbuda 🇦🇬
Belarus 🇧🇾
Belgium 🇧🇪
Belize 🇧🇿
Benin 🇧🇯
Bermuda 🇧🇲
Bhutan 🇧🇹
Bolivia 🇧🇴
Bosnia 🇧🇦
Botswana 🇧🇼
Brazil 🇧🇷
Brunei 🇧🇳
Bulgaria 🇧🇬
C
Cambodia 🇰🇭
Cameroon 🇨🇲
Canada 🇨🇦
Caribbean Netherlands 🇧🇶
Chile 🇨🇱
China 🇨🇳
Colombia 🇨🇴
Congo Republic 🇨🇬
Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Cote d’lvoire Croatia 🇭🇷
Cuba 🇨🇺
Curaçao 🇨🇼
Cyprus 🇨🇾
Czech Republic 🇨🇿
D
Denmark 🇩🇰
Dominica 🇩🇲
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
E
Ecuador 🇪🇨
Egypt 🇪🇬
El Salvador 🇸🇻
Estonia 🇪🇪
Eswatini 🇸🇿
Ethiopia 🇪🇹
European Union 🇪🇺
F
Fiji 🇫🇯
Finland 🇫🇮
France 🇫🇷
G
Gambia 🇬🇲
Georgia 🇬🇪
Germany 🇩🇪
Ghana 🇬🇭
Greece 🇬🇷
Grenada 🇬🇩
Guam 🇬🇺
Guatemala 🇬🇹
Guernsey 🇬🇬
Guyana 🇬🇾
H
Haiti 🇭🇹
Herzegovina 🇧🇦
Honduras 🇭🇳
Hong Kong 🇭🇰
Hungary 🇭🇺
I
Iceland 🇮🇸
Iran 🇮🇷
Iraq 🇮🇶
India 🇮🇳
Indonesia 🇮🇩
Ireland 🇮🇪
Isle of Man 🇮🇲
Israel 🇮🇱
Italy 🇮🇹
Ivory Coast 🇨🇮
J
Jamaica 🇯🇲
Japan 🇯🇵
Jordan 🇯🇴
K
Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
Kenya 🇰🇪
Kuwait 🇰🇼
L
Latvia 🇱🇻
Lesotho 🇱🇸
Lebanon 🇱🇧
Liberia 🇱🇷
Libya 🇱🇾
Lithuania 🇱🇹
Luxembourg 🇱🇺
M
Macau SAR China 🇨🇳
Macedonia 🇲🇰
Madagascar 🇲🇬
Malawi 🇲🇼
Malaysia 🇲🇾
Maldives 🇲🇻
Malta 🇲🇹
Mauritius 🇲🇺
Mexico 🇲🇽
Micronesia 🇫🇲
Moldova 🇲🇩
Morocco 🇲🇦
Mozambique 🇲🇿
Myanmar (Burma) 🇲🇲
N
Namibia 🇳🇦
Nepal 🇳🇵
Netherlands 🇳🇱
New Zealand 🇳🇿
Nicaragua 🇳🇮
Nigeria 🇳🇬
Norway 🇳🇴
O
Oman 🇴🇲
P
Pakistan 🇵🇰
Palestine 🇵🇸
Panama 🇵🇦
Paraguay 🇵🇾
Papua New Guinea 🇬🇳
Peru 🇵🇪
Philippines 🇵🇭
Poland 🇵🇱
Portugal 🇵🇹
Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Q
Qatar 🇶🇦
R
Romania 🇷🇴
Russia 🇷🇺
Reunion 🇫🇷
Rwanda 🇷🇼
S
Saint Lucia 🇱🇨
Samoa 🇼🇸
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Senegal 🇸🇳
Serbia 🇷🇸
Seychelles 🇸🇨
Sierra Leone 🇸🇱
Singapore 🇸🇬
Slovakia 🇸🇰
Slovenia 🇸🇮
Solomon Islands 🇸🇧
South Africa 🇿🇦
South Korea 🇰🇷
South Sudan 🇸🇸
Spain 🇪🇸
Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
St. Vincent and Grenadines
Suriname 🇸🇷
Swaziland 🇸🇿
Sweden 🇸🇪
Switzerland 🇨🇭
T
Taiwan 🇹🇼
Tanzania 🇹🇿
Thailand 🇹🇭
Tobago 🇹🇹
Togo 🇹🇬
Trinidad 🇹🇹
Tunisia 🇹🇳
Turkey 🇹🇷
U
Uganda 🇺🇬
Ukraine 🇺🇦
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
United States of America 🇺🇸
Uruguay 🇺🇾
V
Vanuatu 🇻🇺
Venezuela 🇻🇪
Vietnam 🇻🇳
Y
Yemen 🇾🇪
Z
Zambia 🇿🇲
Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
My Prayer
Father, would You give me the nations? As I pray for them and find out more about them would You show me how to use this tool to reach across the world? Lord, I know it is an awfully big dream. I fully know it is something only You can do. Is it Your dream, Lord? I ask again today for the nations as my inheritance…according to Your Word….in Jesus’ holy and precious Name!!! Amen!!!
If anyone knows Melissa... 