Preparing The Nursery

Isaiah 66:7-8 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

I have had many dreams in my past. I can still remember dreams I had when I was a child.

Sometimes I dream and the dream will be so vivid, so real, that I can smell smells and feel things I am touching.

Last night I had such a dream.

I dreamed that somehow I had a baby. I was on my way somewhere and I had this fat little healthy baby in my arms.

And I crawled into the back of the car because I had no car seat to put the baby in.

Then I noticed as I was holding the baby that it only had on a diaper and his skin was cold under my hands.

So I started looking for clothes in the diaper bag to dress the baby....only there were no clothes.

The diaper bag was full of dirty diapers. There were no wipes to clean the baby up with.

There was a bottle that was full of only water and I had no formula to mix in it, no other way to feed this baby.

I had this beautiful little baby boy and I was totally unprepared to care for him.

This baby has haunted my thoughts all day, and every time I picture him in my arms looking up at me and expecting me to take care of him my eyes fill with tears.

Somebody trusted me with him and I blew it. I was totally unprepared to take care of him.

Oh, I could have cuddled him and loved him, but that wouldn't have put food in his belly to stop his hunger. I could have sang a beautiful lullaby to soothe him, but that wouldn't have protected him from the cold, that wouldn't have cleaned him up.

I can't count the times today I have wept, not for the baby, but for me.

I was not prepared.

I have prayed for revival, prayed for new birth, to see new souls born and to watch them grow in Him.

I have wept and travailed awaiting the arrival of these new babies.

Could it be that I'm not ready?

Could it be that I have not prepared? Do I not have in place inside me what it will take to nurture new life, to teach a new baby, nourish a new baby, protect a new baby until it is ready to move from milk to meat?

Could something in me be the reason Zion has not given birth here in this city??

I sit here tonight with tears running down my face because more than anything else I want to be READY!!

Search every part of me, LORD, every part. I have been travailing so long and I am certain the time is near. Make room in my life, let me have everything in place so that when I have those babies in my arms I will be prepared to care for them, for Your Word says "for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought for her children" so I know many are coming.

I am so longing to see "The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!" (Lamentations 4:2)