In 2019, the Lord asked my husband and I to pick up our lives, our family, and everything we owned and move to the Washington, DC region. Why? Not because a job offer had come. Not because a well-known ministry had invited us to join them. Not because we thought we had anything within ourselves to offer. But because the Lord asked us to go— without any explanation of “why.”
We don’t need to know the why when Jesus says, “Will you go?”
One of my first prayers after I married my husband was from the verse Isaiah 6:8 that says,
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” I said to the Lord, “Here I am, send me.”
I prayed it as a young, naive believer who was overwhelmed by the love of God that had been poured out upon my life. I didn’t know the cost of that prayer or the courage that it would take to live it out, but I knew the ONE who would send me would give me all that I needed.
And he did— to many nations, over 30 moves with four children, many tears, many prayers, at times— fear and trembling— my greatest desire is this,“Not my will but your will be done.”And,“Be it unto me according to your will.”
So, like many times before— we left our home in Oregon (left our church, our friends, and even our youngest son) and in faith moved to the DC region. Within months of arriving there, Covid hit the world, and the nation was locked down. DC was locked down and looked like a ghost town.
So why were we there?
We moved 3000 miles away to humble ourselves and pray.
That is why.
I remember one morning waking up from a dream in which God was weeping over Washington, DC (and our nation). He was weeping like a father who was losing his son. Probably like Charlie Kirk’s father is weeping right now. As the dream ended, I heard the Father say to me, “Will you love this nation the way I love this nation?”I began weeping with him and said, “Yes.”I woke up in uncontrollable tears and a love for our nation that I had not known possible because it was God’s love for it.
It was one of the most profound moments and dreams I’ve ever had. I wonder if it was actually a dream or if God took me into his heart and let me experience what he was feeling? Why he sent me.
Our assignment was to move 3000 miles to love what God loves and to humble ourselves and pray. That assignment was only two years long, and then the Lord said, “Now go back to the Pacific Northwest and do the same thing.”
I grew up in California. I now live in Portland, Oregon, and every place the Lord has called us to has been anything but absent from a great spiritual battle. But we have decided to love what appears unlovable. To go to the places that everyone wants to leave. To love what HE loves and see what HE sees.
So we go, we battle on our knees— in worship, in prayer, and in faith. In his love!
No one pays us to go, but the Lord provides for us in absolutely miraculous ways. This week, my husband and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary, and we have not stopped “going” since the first year of our marriage. Wednesday, I will go again— this time to pray across the West Coast.
In faith I will go!
As I watched Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, I looked out upon tens of thousands of people in America (and from other nations) singing “Hallelujah” with their arms lifted in praise. And I knew why we went— for this! Then I heard Kari Jobe read 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says,
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
And in that moment, I once again knew why we went. We were just two people amid thousands and amid a thousand generations that said yes to humbling ourselves and praying. And sometimes the Lord asks us to go to that very land to bow our knees and place our feet.
God is now raising up a new generation that will say, “Here I am— send me!”
They won’t need a reason why because they will do it for their King— Jesus. They may not have the provision or the influence, but they will go in faith and the favor of the Lord, and God will take their yes and multiply it.
The land is ready to receive the seeds of a million yes! A million is actually too small a number. The gunshot that took the life of Charlie Kirk is once again the “shot heard around the world,” and it sparked a fire that will not be contained or extinguished. A revival fire.
This is why you will go and why your sons and daughters will go— into all the world to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. We will be a city set on a hill to bring light into the darkness.
Kathi’s new book SEVEN LETTERS has just been released. Within the pages of this book is the counsel of the Lord for His Church— yesterday, today, and forever.
Purchase here.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Inscribe Ministries
Featured Image by Alexander Fox | PlaNet Fox from Pixabay
