Singing Birds, Turtle Doves, and Springtime!

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:11-12, KJV). Hear the Word of the Lord, beloved of God. I hear the sound of life bursting forth from dead places. What was thought to be totally lifeless and gone the Lord says will sprout again. There is new life coming that was thought to be lost forever. I see people who have given up all hope of restoration after terrible, devastating losses suddenly smelling and feeling the gentle rain (blessings) being poured out and brand new life bursting forth. Can you sense the sweet, pure scent of rain? Don’t you love it? I also smell the lingering fragrance of God’s sweet presence saturating those who are dry and thirsty. I see tears falling freely down the cheeks of those who’ve felt abandoned by Him in past seasons. The gentle rain begins so that His bride is showered with His love and glory. They begin to declare: “He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4, KJV). Flowers Are Here to Bloom AgainThere is hope even if a tree has been cut down that at the scent of water it will sprout again (Job 14:7-9). This month I want you to declare over your life that the winter of barrenness is past and that the flowers are here to bloom once again for you because this is the season of breakthrough. “But My bride will not be satisfied with mere rain (blessings), but will dare to move into a new season where flowers bloom in overwhelming abundance. And what I am stirring in April will spill over even into May, and it will be a brand-new season where your life will begin to bloom with a glorious abundance of My precious promises.”  “I’m not only giving you blessings in this new season; I want you to also hunger and thirst after My presence so that your Bridegroom gazes lovingly upon you.” “Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you!” (Song of Solomon 6:13) His deepest desire is to spend intimate time walking and talking in the garden with His beloved ones. In fact, deep inside our being He has planted a desperate yearning for His presence. In response to this desire I see Him moving into His garden. “My beloved has gone to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies” (Song of Solomon 6:2) An invitation has gone out to the hungry ones to join the Lord in the Garden of His Love where the fruit is plentiful. And while His blessing is more than enough, the more time they spend with the Master the more lovesick they become, and the more they desire to be in His presence. They transition from only seeking after His hands—blessings—to seeking His face—His presence. Instead of only singing the songs of the past: “. . . comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love” (Song of Solomon 2:5, KJV) they now desire to be closer, unable to stay away from that moment on. So they begin to sing a new song unto the Lord: Jesus, make us hungry for Your very presence. Cause us to be worshipers who seek of nothing but Your heart. Let our deeply personal worship be like a sweet fragrance that’s pleasing to You. In the Garden of the Lord He yearns for His Bride to walk with Him in the cool evening as was the custom of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). He wants us to move beyond seeking His hands of blessing and fall into a far deeper intimate love. In fact, now the rain has passed, He wants to transition us from seeking after Him to searching out who He really is at His core. Do you yearn for the presence of the Lord? The Song of Solomon bride found her beloved in the garden. In the garden, they came to know each other personally. We too can find our Bridegroom, the lover of our soul, in that very same garden where He waits for us. Singing of the Birds I see the rain. I see the flowers, but then enters the singing of the birds and the voice of the turtledove.  There is strong prophetic significance behind the terms “the singing of the birds” and “the voice of the turtle.” The Song of Solomon is a very prophetic book. It’s not just an illicit love story between Solomon and the Shulamite woman, but it’s also a revelatory prophetic book complete with symbols, types and a much deeper prophetic understanding if you open your heart to it. The Lord began to show me that during April and May He is releasing the “singing of the birds,” which is symbolic of supernatural, heavenly worship. He is also releasing a spirit of true worship into our hearts, which will replace a false spirit of entertainment that has looked like the anointing, but you and I recognize it as counterfeit. We can tell the difference because its focus is on performance and posing rather than on releasing the rain of the Holy Spirit to minister to needy hearts as only He can. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). I believe if we’re going to bring change to the church, it’s going to be more than just singing a pop song on a Sunday morning to try to impress those in the seats. This change will require something prophetic, something spontaneous, something creative birthed in heaven to transform the hearts of those who are lifeless and dead inside. It’s going take a song sung from deep down in our hearts as we supernaturally connect in “Spirit and Truth” to the Father. As we sing to the Lord, something miraculous will happen in that adoration. It is the singing of the birds . . . a new song—and in this new season I hear the song of the Lord, the sound of heaven being carried through the air, enveloping the whole earth. The Voice of the Turtledove“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:12). The “voice of the turtle dove” is a prophetic voice that speaks God’s heart cry into the empty, dead places on the earth. In this moment, God is raising up the voice of the turtle dove in His church—using the voices of those who have become mature, deeply humble and meek after their time in the wilderness with Him. Right now, God is searching for those willing to let go of past religious ideas and traditions and develop their spiritual ears to receive a “present word” directly from Him. We should be filled with anticipation knowing He is once again stirring up true worship in the Body of Christ. This “singing of the birds,” also known as (sincere) harmonious prophetic worship, is the key that opens the very windows of heaven so that fresh revelation comes forth that is not inspired by only mere men. This will happen wherever the Holy Spirit is welcomed. A vast new realm of spiritual understanding and experience is now available to anyone who will say, “Yes, Lord. Give me ears to hear. Give me a hearing heart.” “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna…” (Revelation 2:17a, NIV). As we spend time resting in the presence of God there is an abiding prophetic anointing that begins to rest upon us. Hidden manna and mysteries are downloaded supernaturally by the Holy Spirit when we invest in His presence and behold Him as He is; we become one with Him and begin to understand the way He thinks and feels as well as His deepest heart yearnings. We overcome and become an expression of His very life—a reflection of His heart and feelings toward others. And when we are one with Him in heart and mind, we can’t help but be in tune with Him as we relate to those around us, available to speak a word in season to minister to a needy heart in the moment. In the natural, a new season of spring is before us. In the same way, a new season in the Spirit is being ushered in by the refreshing wind of the Holy Spirit. In the freshness of April and May you will see that, after the long battle of winter, the rain is coming, washing away the old and ushering in the blessing of God that will overtake us, blowing afresh on all that has been lost and ruined in the past. But I also see the Lord taking us gently by the hand to lead us into a deeper place, into the very garden of the Lord where He dwells. In that place His fragrance lingers and saturates the hungry hearts that search for Him. In that place the barren see a new season of the flowers blooming and flourishing. It’s in that place where the Lord longs to look our way and consume all our dross in His love. A new desperation is then birthed in the heart of His bride for more of Him. Because of the time we spend investing in His presence, the singing of the birds comes forth, producing a new sound of heavenly worship that transforms regions and cities with its powerful, prophetic flow. This leads to an abiding prophetic anointing that rests upon us so we can speak a message in season and become an expression of His very life. “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:11-12, ESV). I Hear This Word from the Lord in ClosingThe smell of spring is heavy in the forest. The beautiful scent of lilacs fills the space, released from an incredible array of purple colors, and cherry trees are heavily laden with blossoms. It’s spring—time to come away with Me, My love. Come into My garden and leave behind even the memories of harsh winters past. I want to see your beautiful face and hear your sweet voice sing a new song, each note touching My heart. I want to hear your voice woo Me. Your voice is soothing as you cover Me with a blanket of your love. For I have called you on a journey. Take My hand, and let’s walk through the hidden forest alive with the scent of flowers where My presence is in full bloom. There you will sing to Me from the depths of your heart, and I will fill your mouth with My words that echo the cry of My very heart. And from that place I will use you to be My hands extended to those who need Me most. If you read this pamphlet and were blessed, please let us know if we can keep you in prayer and share your joy!