Alive In France

I love the gift of prophecy. It’s nothing more than God actively speaking to us through other people. When I say “nothing more” that’s a bit of an understatement – I mean the fact that the God of the universe who is perfectly holy and just, would even care to talk to us grubby lame old humanoids is hardly comprehensible. But considering our adoption through Christ, it is after all simply a caring Father who speaks to his children: guiding, affirming, confirming, or correcting… 

Anyways, what I love about this channel of communication specifically (because of course he also speaks through the Scriptures, personal conviction, and answered prayers) is how creative it is. It involves colour, picture, song, nature, and the poetic use of comparison and contrast. 

One way that God confirmed our sense of His call to France was through the picture of a sunflower. 🌻 The last time we met with our small group before Andrew and I left to scout out France, it was my turn to lead the meeting, so I did a little prophetic activation exercise (for funsies!). We all paired up and prayed then shared our prophetic encouragement with one another. Not knowing about what Andrew and I were praying into and considering, two people shared words which would end up being so very accurate! 

The word given to me was about a salmon fish swimming upstream as a response to the innate call and urge to “go home”. The word given to Andrew was about him being a sunflower near the French Alps (!!!) who follows the sun and displays God’s glory! After receiving those words, we shared with our group what our intensions and prayers were and the two people felt very encouraged to know that they were indeed hearing God prophetically. 

Over the following months God continued to speak to us (see blog post a call we can’t resist) and by the end of September, we had made our decision and were starting to tell friends and family about our move. In January we stayed with some close friends and one evening prayed together. One friend, who was praying for Andrew and this move, started giving a word about Andrew being a sunflower who follows the sun! She didn’t know about the other word he had received and when we told her, she said: “well wait until you get a third word, because for some reason, when God speaks thrice then you know it’s very important.” 

Skip ahead to a church service in February. By then, Andrew and I were getting the growing sense that this move was missional and that we were going to need spiritual backing from our church and friends in Cape Town. We were struggling with the idea of being “missionaries” in France and were going to speak to our pastor about it. That Sunday service, a missionary was invited to speak to us about the work of the gospel which she was doing in Kenya. She shared her testimony, we prayed for her, and it was announced that as a church we were going to be supporting her. As she spoke, I noticed (well it was hard not to) that she was wearing a bright yellow dress and that there were sunflowers set in a jar on stage. 

We don’t usually have flower arrangements, so I pointed it out to Andrew and winked, but I thought it was coincidental. However, I found out from a conversation with a member of our church’s prayer team that the sunflowers had come up during their time of weekly prayer for the congregation and that someone had gone out and bought them and set them up on stage as a prophetic declaration! Once again, I am reminded that God doesn’t do coincidences. 


So, there’s our third confirmation. This has been such an encouraging word especially for Andrew who is concerned that his Anglophonism will put him at a disadvantage in France. But we have faith that Andrew’s faith and character, and his dedication to follow God’s way and leading will be a testimony to our friends, family, and neighbours in France. 

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”

Psalm 34:4-5

And of course, I can’t get the spider-verse song out of my head: “oh oh oh oh…. You’ll be left in the dust unless I stuck by ya. You’re the sunflower. You’re the sunflower…” Okay I’ll stop now.

Prayer points:
 
*May Andrew be strengthened in his faith whilst he is in a foreign land and may that be a testimony to those around him. 
*May God continue to speak prophetically to His church in France, South Africa, and the rest of the world. 

If you have never exercised the gift of prophecy and would like to…

I encourage you to ask God and then start practicing in safe and trusted space using colour or image prompts. You’ll be amazed by how keen God is to speak through you. 

Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

1 Corinthians 14:3 “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.”