Narrabri Nsw - Children Touched In Revival
November 2, 2002
By Margaret O'Connor
Christian Outreach Centre in Narrabri in North West NSW has been experiencing an awesome outpouring of the Spirit of God in the last 17 weeks, but nothing could have prepared us for what happened this last weekend (October 18th -20th 2002).
Friday 18th was the first time a night meeting had been held in Narrabri, since the outpouring had begun (we hold meetings in other towns at night normally). People hungry for more of God gathered in the sanctuary. Everyone, including the children, were in one accord in wholehearted praise, worship and honor to our Lord Jesus. As it says in the Psalms 22:3 "But You are Holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel." He was inhabiting the praises of His people as we lifted up His Holy Name.
One of the ladies ministering with the holiness banner at the back responded to a word of knowledge. As she lifted her hand to indicate her response, the Spirit of the Lord swept over her and she fell to the ground. During the preaching of the Word, a wave of His weightiness swept through, starting on the side section. You could see that people were not expecting such a move at that time by their facial expressions that changed to one of surprise, it looked as though they were ready to explode. As they slid from their chairs, they became breathless, with tingling and numbness in their fingers, arms and lips as His weightiness pressed them down. As His Presence hovered, He also started moving slowly across the congregation. The same thing happened in the middle section. The look on peoples' faces was indescribable, a mixture of ecstasy and surprise before they slid to the floor. Later, all described tingling and numbness in their fingers, arms and lips. Then almost at once, as though it was being orchestrated, laughter broke out across the entire congregation in a wave.
Saturday afternoon is the time when a group of intercessors meet to pray for Sunday's meeting. On this occasion the Presence of the Lord, in the form of the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord came upon everyone there as we were flat on our faces before the Lord, with much weeping, travail and breathlessness as He moved us to pray. At the same time He was exposing our hearts to us in a new way so we could see what He sees in us.
On Sunday something happened which brought everyone undone, and this has carried through into this week affecting everyone's lives with an awe in what He's doing here. We thought He was moving incredibly downstairs amongst the adults, and He was, but God was visiting the children in a powerful way in the "Upper Room". The first we knew was that one of the children's workers came downstairs and whispered to Pastor Wayne what was happening. Then we heard the children. First it started as weeping and then as time progressed (this went on for about two hours in all) the weeping turned into travail with some screaming as the children were interceding for their generation. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" was the Scripture that one of the children's workers later relayed to me as the one that had been impressed upon her at the time. She said that God came in and just took over as the children were praying for each other.
I had the opportunity during the service to witness what was happening in Kid's Church, and what God was doing amongst them. The atmosphere was charged with His Presence and it was almost tangible with a weightiness that was totally different than Friday night. The children were on their knees or flat on the floor, in weeping and travail, their little eyes, red with tears, sobbing under the power of God. Children's workers and other adults who had left the service downstairs to minister to the children while God was so touching their hearts they were there drinking in His awesomeness and weeping with the kids.
They forgot about morning tea (a miracle in itself), their lesson and communion while God was so moving in their midst (I'm not surprised, time stands still while He's here). I have never witnessed anything quite so incredible as God touching the hearts of innocent children as young as three, with a passion for Him and interceding in prayer for their friends, their family, their church and their town. When the intercession finished, joy broke out amongst them and there was dancing and singing, praise and worship. The children's workers then sat them all down, to explain what God was doing in their midst, so that a few of the more bewildered children could understand. One of the girls (7) had only been "born again" that morning. The children then came down and ministered in prayer to the adults. Many were touched as they prayed and prophesied over the adults.
Parents of the children have said this week that their children are different, they are worshipping around the house, some have seen visions, others are just getting over what happened to them now (on Wednesday).
Apart from the international tension, the Bali bombing and threat of terrorist attack, Australia is going through a severe drought at the moment, the wheat harvest is practically non-existent (except for irrigated crops), and people are losing their jobs as a result. We are now fast approaching summer where temperatures often reach in the forties Centigrade (well over 100 Fahrenheit), there is very little grass around and not much water left in the dams. There has been a big fire already in "the Piliga", a scrub forest that covers hundreds of square kilometers close to town. Narrabri is a rural community of around 8,000 "out west" and as I'm typing this into the computer, I'm looking outside where a dust storm is in full swing with red dust flying around, the sky is orange and has blocked out a lot of the sun.
I am reminded of the Scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
God is speaking to His people, let's humble ourselves, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways today!
Wayne & Margaret O'Connor
Pastors - C.O.C. Narrabri
You can contact us at
outpouring@openheaven.com
Location: Narrabri NSW, Australia
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