So now what? I think you would agree that God has given us a huge and exciting vision for Lighthouse in the coming years, but how do we actually get there? It’s one thing to have an awesome vision for Lighthouse, but an entirely different thing for this vision to become reality.

First and foremost, I believe that we need to remember that this vision is God-given – and whatever is God-given, will be God-provided. I don’t believe for a second, that this vision is possible without the supernatural provision of God. I’ve learnt that if God gives you a vision or a promise in your life, He will provide for that vision or promise. All we can do, is to do what we can in the natural, and simply rely on God to do the supernatural.

So what is it that we can do in the natural?

Isaiah 62:1 reads
“Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn and her salvation blazes like a burning torch”
The first thing that jumps out to me is that Isaiah, before anything else, loved Zion. It was because of this love, that he yearned for something more for Zion and its people. For Isaiah, love led to a yearning to see Zion saved and its people shine with righteousness. Lighthouse needs to echo the same heart that Isaiah has for his people. First and foremost, we need to love them. But how do we love people? It’s not always an easy task.

I believe the key to loving people, is to first love God. The more we love God, the more we love his creation and his purposes. I believe the key to loving God then, lies in worship, which is something we can do in the natural. Worship is a choice that we can make in the natural, to allow God to work in our lives using the supernatural. The more we worship God, the more we understand His love, grace and mercy in our own lives. It is God’s love, that then overflows to the people around us, not our own. The more we love the people around us, the more we want to see them soar in their walk with God.

The second thing that Isaiah did was to pray. His love led to a yearning for his people, and that yearning led to prayer. In fact, Isaiah proclaimed he would not stop praying until he saw God move in his people. Imagine what would happen, if an entire youth group did that! Prayer is certainly something we can do in the natural, to move God in the supernatural.
It’s with no surprise then, that worship and prayer is the main focus for Lighthouse this year. We aim to deepen our intimacy with God by engaging in spirit-filled worship aimed at understanding the fullness of the relationship we have in Christ. Our belief is that this love will overflow into prayer and to the people around us, creating a hunger to see God move in their lives. This will provide a strong foundation to build upon as well as providing the heart for various ministry opportunities God will open up to us in the future.