This is a most intriguing word from Nate Johnston of Australia, in which he shares a prolific dream he had about "whales" and what they represent to the Body of Christ.
Have you ever had a dream that was more than just a dream? A dream that not only gave you insight but seemed to mark you deeply and change your trajectory? A month ago I had such a dream that I haven't been able to shake since. As I have been processing it with the Lord, I have realized the corporate invitation it carries, serving as a guidepost and commissioning to the prophetic movement. I pray that this dream marks you as deeply as it did me.
The Resurgence
In the dream, I was with many other prophets and leaders at an ocean-side resort, where I could see tons of people partaking in many different recreational watersports and having a lot of fun. As I entered the water, I suddenly felt something grab my legs! I looked down to see a huge humpback whale looking back at me in a friendly way, as if we knew each other well. Then as I looked out over the water, I saw a huge school of whales swarming the resort's shore waters.
"Maybe the uncharted territory you are in right now is the Lord preparing you for birth!"
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Whales represent the prophetic ministry and/or the current prophetic movement because whales are sensitive, dive deep, and communicate through song – much like prophets who are messengers and revelators of the deep things of God's heart. In the story of Jonah, it was a whale that transported him from the stormy seas to his destiny. The ministry of the prophetic also seeks to realign people with their promises and take them from the stormy seas of life and transport them to their place of purpose and calling. I knew seeing this whale was the Lord highlighting the greater reinstatement and resurgence of the prophetic in a greater way across all streams in the days to come.
There is an island not far from where I live that had many whales surrounding it, but has been scarce over the years. This island still to this day, has seen less whales than it used to. Instead it is now known for its prolific dolphin population. Dolphins represent the intelligence of man that we rest on when we are void of God's wisdom. But I prophesy that the whales are coming back to the waters!
Awakening a Song and a Time of Acceleration
In my dream, as I was traveling across the water, I realized I could somehow communicate to the whale and would hear it cry out in response! Did you know that a whale starts a song in the beginning of migration that they keep singing and adding to as they travel the large distance to their furthest destination? When other whales join in the song, they sing in unison with their melodies like a perfectly organized choir.
I believe we are in a time where the prophetic voices are beginning to come into unity and release their sound in unison. This sound is shaking the deep places and calling the earth into order and in compliance to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Then the whale swam away from the shore with my legs still in its grip, which felt much like I was wake boarding with my body above the water, traveling at quite a speed that even others on jet skis were finding it hard to keep up. It was exhilarating to say the least. In that moment, I had a thought come into my mind and I said to myself "This is what I was made for!" It was as if for the first time I was experiencing the adventure and ride of being "in the pocket" so to speak, or in my lane. There was nothing more I could have desired in that moment. It was the sense that I was doing what I was created to do.
The water was spraying up all around me and I was still moving at an incredible speed. The Lord spoke to me through this and said,
"There is a divine acceleration coming upon the prophets in both revelation and maturity, and I am moving the prophets into position to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath"(Deuteronomy 28:13)!
(Photo via Unsplash)
I have done a lot of wake boarding in my life and I know the skill and strength it involves to stay standing up as the boat speeds through the water with you behind it. Just to pull yourself up, you need arm and upper body strength, but as the boat turns, you also need to know how to move with both the stationery water and the moving boat by angling your body as it turns. To learn this I have taken many falls, some fun and some ending up with a few days of bad neck and back pain, and some wisdom to apply for the next time out on the water.
Acceleration is upon us, but it isn't something we just step into, it's a divine grace that God is breathing upon us to SURGE FORWARD with a new momentum and favor. However, it will require a new strength, wisdom, and skill to maintain. When God adds and elevates us higher, He also prepares us to steward it well by increasing our character and ability to carry what He pours out.
Uncharted Territory
As I continued to speed through the water, I noticed that an island or land was approaching in the distance. But because of the sheer speed that the whale was moving us in, it wasn't long until we were nearing the shore. To my surprise the whale didn't slow down at all, but kept its velocity, which meant that we suddenly launched out of the water and landed on the shore. Strangely, we were able to keep moving on the land in the same way and speed like we did in the ocean. I was watching as a we sped through a small town, causing all of the onlookers to drop what they were doing, and pay attention to this uncommon site! After a while I signaled for the whale to turn around and we headed back to the resort.
The symbol of the sea represents the world, or what I felt represented the common place of operation, the bounds of the prophetic as we have known it. The land represents the new territory we as the Body of Christ are moving into. From a logical perspective, whales are not created to operate on land – it's physically impossible – but the Lord is impressing to us that in the days to come He is giving us uncharted territory to occupy and stake a claim in. This will require breaking out of the boxes where we have confined our prophetic expressions, functions, and the way God has called us to shine His light in the day we live.
"I knew seeing this whale was the Lord highlighting the greater reinstatement and resurgence of the prophetic in a greater way across all streams in the days to come."
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This excited me to imagine the endless impossibilities that lay before us in the Church, especially if we keep our hearts and ears open to move in ways that may confront our mindsets or cause us to move in greater faith with Him. I also believe that the migratory patterns of whales is significant in this season too because we are in a season of birthing. The purpose behind the migration of whales is to go to warmer waters more suitable for birth. Maybe the uncharted territory you are in right now is the Lord preparing you for birth!
Anointing without a Cost?
As I walked up onto the shore, I noticed a group of people who were all congregating around someone who was talking loudly with great bravado and confidence. Everyone was glued to his words and what he was talking about, but I couldn't seem to understand the point of what He was saying. I was not impressed at all. He began speaking about the whales that entered the waterway and how it was an opportunity to show them off and turn the resort into an ocean-life museum, where people could come and observe them in their cages and tanks. Then two men walked in at his command carrying a huge barrel of stinking, rotting fish, and the man began to mention that he would be feeding them to the whales. At this, the sheer injustice of what he was saying caused me to yell out: "You can't feed that to them!" To which the man replied, "Well you buy them food then, this didn't cost me anything."
I was really grieved at this part of the dream, because this man was trying to cage and contain these whales and even monetize them! In addition to that, He was wanting to feed them rotting fish which would not have been a healthy, sustainable diet for them. It's a scary thing when we see the prophetic as an opportunity to lead people to our own man-made structures, rather than nurturing and raising healthy prophets. The temptation in this hour is to forfeit the purity we have been entrusted with and fall into self-promotion, religion, or distortion. The rotting fish represents the diet that is not valuing the prophetic anointing upon our lives and not stewarding it with wisdom or governing the motives of the heart.
It reminds me of what King David said in 2 Samuel 24:24, "But the king replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.'"
Fishing with Daddy
As I walked away, quite disturbed from what I just witnessed with the whales food, my heart was instantly comforted by someone who stood in front of me.
It was the Father, and He bent down and stretched His arms out to embrace me with a huge smile on His face. Everything else just melted away. It was at that moment that I realized I was around 5 years old and I was walking with the Father towards a jetty, both of us holding a fishing pole. Knowing what I was thinking He looked me in the eye and said,
"I'll show you how to catch the right food for the whales." As He said that my dream ended.
(Photo via Unsplash)
The words of the Father seemed to burn in my heart and I saw a branding rod clearing out the cobwebs of performance and clutter that can come as a result of "doing" instead of "being". In those simple words, He was powerfully rescuing us from operating apart from rest and dwelling in His peace, as well as a deep awakening to the very source of the prophetic office and function... being with Daddy!
As He led me away from the noise of the committee I saw the future strength of the prophetic movement and how God is inviting us into a place of greater intimacy that will ensure that the whales are safe, free to roam, and healthy for the days to come.
I pray that this dream encouraged you, challenged you, and caused you to burn deeper with a heart to see HIS HEART revealed in the earth! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List
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Nate Johnston is a revivalist and worshipper who has a heart to see sons and daughters unleashed into passionate friendship with God and an effective supernatural lifestyle. Through his ministry "Everyday Revivalists," he teaches on intimacy and hearing God's voice which was birthed from a hunger for authentic, real, and powerful relationship with Jesus. Christy Johnston was born and raised in Australia. After living the majority of her life plagued with insecurity and fear, she came to learn the power of her identity in Christ. She now lives with the mandate to breathe fresh hope and life into Gods sons and daughters through her passion of writing, uncovering the truths of living in Grace and freedom through our identity in Christ. Nate and Christy have two daughters, Charlotte and Sophie, and currently live on the Gold Coast in Australia.
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