Nineveh & Boston

In all things spiritual (and many things temporal, too, it seems), God is teaching us patience. It is not an easy lesson to learn, and a lot of us are having to learn it..

Alex will soon be done his chemo and radiation. Thanks to your prayers, he has come through both procedures at the top of the charts. But he still has cancer. And recently God reminded him (and us) that while He will heal Alex totally and completely, it will be a long process.

Through prayer Marilou received a miraculous healing; for the first time in months, her hips are in alignment, and she can walk without a limp. But she is still in pain, and still has two steel rods holding her spine straight. Kris is fighting a long uphill battle to preserve the sanctity of traditional marriage in Massachusetts, aware that the enemy is attacking the family unit, the foundation stone of God's social order. It is a battle being waged in the Heavenlies, which requires wave after wave of sustained prayer. We cannot stop praying, no matter how weary we are.

Shelli is also fighting an uphill battle, as she raises awareness and support for CUFI's Night to Honor Israel, the black-tie event at the Statehouse, on the night of May 13. She has experienced mini-miracles, but none of the magic-wand, now-your-troubles-are-over variety.

God could do instant, transformational miracles, if He chose. Yet in many of our lives, He is choosing not to. What we hoped would be a dash, has turned out to be a marathon. And we have no choice but to heed Paul's advice and run with patience the race He has set before us. [Heb. 12:1]

Why is everything, including the Revival, taking so long? He is building stay-the-course endurance into us, the true grit we will need to finish the race, breast the tape, and gain the prize. Because when the cresting wave of Revival finally breaks, there will be no rest, no time to enjoy the laurel crown. The new course will be already set before us, and He will be beckoning us to the starting line.

It is coming. At the last Noon Hour, Dick heard in his heart: My people, your prayers for Boston have ascended to my throne. Like Nineveh, I will turn Boston back to me. But unlike Jonah, my servant, you are interceding for Boston. I hear, and I will bring Revival to Boston.

-David Manuel

Alex Update from David Manuel

As you know, last December, my co-steward of the Boston Noon Hour, Alex Canavan, was diagnosed with colon cancer. As it had recurred for the third time in the same place, the prognosis could not have been less promising.

We went into prayer. You prayed, we prayed, Alex prayed, we all prayed often with the laying on of hands.

From the beginning, Alex's faith never wavered; in fact, the further he went into the shadow valley, the firmer his faith became. God had told him, as He had told a number of us, that He was going to heal Alex, though it would be a long process.

When he went in for surgery at Mass General, the surgeon discovered that it was far worse than anticipated. There was a mass behind his sacrum at the base of his spine, where it had been hidden for years from the CAT scans. The doctors decided to shrink it as much as possible with focused radiation.

At the next Noon Hour, while Alex was in hospital, we came against the cancer with spiritual radiation, focusing with our prayers on all aspects of his healing. At the end of the hour, God gave me a word which I shrank back from declaring. It was too explicit, too extreme. But I checked it with Basil, who had gotten the same word.

So with more holy boldness than I really felt, I declared that Alex would be totally and completely healed, and that his healing would be one of many miracles associated with what God was about to do in Boston. Afterwards, Dick O came up to me and said that if I hadn't declared that word, he would have. Because he'd been given the exact same word.

Last Wednesday Alex attended the Noon Hour. He looked good and felt great. Leading the worship with gusto and exuberance, he was the old Alex and then some. But that night, the bleeding from his rectum, which had gone on for weeks, built to a crescendo. He was up all night with the heavy bleeding which continued into the morning. Though he refused to dwell on it, he began to wonder if this was the beginning of the end.

Later in the morning he got a call from an old friend out in Seattle, Ronnie Svenhards, whom he had not seen or heard from, since they were together at the world convention of the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International fourteen years ago. Ronnie, who had been International Vice President of the FGBMFI, when Alex was an International Director, had learned of Alex's condition from Diane Scott, executive secretary to Demos Shakarian, the late founder of FGBFMI. She did not tell Ronnie the nature or location of Alex's cancer, only that it was life-threatening.

As Ronnie went into prayer for Alex, the Lord abruptly directed him to Mark 5:25-34 the account of the woman with the issue of blood, who had been suffering from it for twelve years. The moment she touched the hem of Jesus' garment, she was healed. After Ronnie finished reading it, the Lord told him to call Alex and tell him that the Lord was giving Alex that Scripture as a gift.

Alex thanked Ronnie, but several hours passed before he realized that he was no longer bleeding. Not a drop. It has not recurred and it has been six days.

Wisdom might dictate keeping silent for a season. Let's make sure the bleeding really has stopped. We don't want to get everyone's hopes up, only to have them dashed. Besides, if you hold up Alex as an example of God's miraculous healing power, you're only inviting the devil to take him down. And don't go overboard prophesying complete healing for him. If he dies, you'll look like a fool.

But that would be conventional wisdom. What we're dealing with here, and have been from the beginning, is highly unconventional wisdom. Supernatural wisdom. If Alex and I had been careful, if we had heeded the counsel of cautious friends, we would never have started the Noon Hour. What could be more ridiculous than to think that in the stressed-out marketplace, anyone would have time to give an hour in the middle of their busy day in the middle of the work week, to just come and pray.

Speaking for myself, I've already burned all my bridges behind me. If I turn out to be a false prophet, it will be a relief. (Nobody in their right mind would want to be a prophet.) Meantime, we'll just keep on keeping on. Here's what I heard in my heart, as I asked the Lord about all of this:

I want you to proclaim this far and wide. It is only part of the healing I am doing in your brother Alex, but it is an important part.

Should I put it out in an update?

Absolutely. Write with economy. Let the story tell itself, and I will do the highlighting, as each one reads it.

Grace me, Father. Do you have a word for the Noon Hour?

I do.

My children, gather close, for the time is drawing close. You have seen my hand on Alex. Soon you will soon see it on all of you. Not one heart that enters my temple on Wednesday will leave untouched.

Open your hearts to me, and from my heart I will give you more love than you have ever experienced. When you fell in love with me at the beginning of our walk together, you experienced a sense of awe and wonder, that the Creator of the Universe could care so much for one of His creations.

You are about to experience it again.

-David Manuel

A Shi'ite Muslim tells of Jesus appearing to him

We had an extraordinary event at the Noon Hour yesterday, thanks to a divine miscommunication and the kindness of Bob Weiner's wife Rose who shares his burden and ours for the coming Awakening in Boston. We heard the testimony of a Shi'ate Muslim from Iran, to whom Jesus appeared, and who, faced this supernatural but unshakable reality, gave his heart to Him.

We've all heard the stories "little more than rumors" of Jesus appearing to Muslims throughout the Middle East. We hoped they were true; our hearts told us they were. But I had actually met only one eleven years ago in a refugee camp in Croatia. Ruja was a badly-frightened young woman in Mostar at the height of the Bosnian War. On a night when the entire city was reeling under the shelling of Serb gunners on the surrounding mountains, the Lord appeared to her in her room.

She had been a cultural Muslim; she became a vibrant Christian. Kamran Yaraei, the very tall, very humble, very likeable young man who shared his story with us yesterday was no cultural Muslim. From childhood he had known God was real, and he had a deep love for Him. Islam was the only religion he knew, so of devout Muslims he became the most devout. He read the Koran faithfully and prayed five times a day. Year after year he poured out his heart to Allah, who never replied, never gave him the slightest indication that his prayers had been heard. Never returned his love.

Disheartened, Kamran came to America, to Atlanta, to become an actor. As it turned out, his acting coach was a deeply-committed Christian. She started challenging his faith. If he loved God so much, why was he angry at Him? "Because He doesn't love me back!" Maybe you should try praying to Jesus, the Son of God.."That's blasphemy!" Kamran exclaimed. "God is too holy to have a son!" She smiled. "The God I worship could not be more holy, and He does have a Son. Try talking to Him."

So Kamran told Jesus that he didn't believe in Him. But “ if He was whom his coach said He was, then he was willing to be convinced. A little while later, at the urging of his friend, he attended a big church in Atlanta. That Sunday there were several thousand people in the congregation. He was late arriving, so an usher took him to one of the only seats still available in the front row.

Soon the pastor was preaching up a storm, pacing back and forth in front of the congegation. And behind him there was another man, robed, with a rod in His hand. He, too, was walking back and forth. Then He came over to Kamran, touched his heart, and stepped inside of him. Instantly Kamran felt so much love, he could not move. He could not speak. All he could do was weep at the overwhelming love that Jesus had brought with Him. Love was all he had ever wished for from God, and now He had so much, it blew out all his receptors.

The rest of the story is charming and delightful and too long to go into here. (You can check out his website at holyspiritadventures.org.) Last night he spoke at Harvard, in the Law School, to some eighty students of all ethnic backgrounds. They were more than captivated; they were enthralled. He's speaking again at Harvard tomorrow night, and undoubtedly there will be a far greater number attending. Pray for him, as we did yesterday, for the Lord to mightily anoint him, for warrior angels to surround him, that all attempts of the enemy to challenge and disrupt be thwarted, and for God to be glorified.

Other news: Alex was with us and in fine fettle, leading the worship with gusto. Medically his situation has not improved, but he feels great, and his faith is through the roof. Keep praying for him. He has been receiving daily radiation for a week and the chemo starts today.

A number of you have asked about my workshops. Next Thursday and Friday, the 8th and 9th , at Gateway Christian Fellowship in West Haven, Connecticut, I'm doing a two-day distillation of the five-day workshop I lead each summer at Gordon Conwell Seminary (August 6-10 this year). And then on Saturday, the 11th , also at Gateway, I'm leading a day-long hearing God's voice workshop. If your spirit quickens to either (or both) of these, don't do as we so often do, and put off making up your mind till the last possible moment. Last year, so many came to the hearing God workshop that we had to turn people away. So call now to register [203-934-0880]. And remember, if God wants you there, guess who doesn't? Don't let the other one distract you with schedule conflicts and/or last-minute emergencies. A description of each workshop is attached.

Finally, Dick O. heard this in his heart this morning; You noticed how the maturity and strength of those there, are increasing weekly. That will continue until my call for Awakening sounds. You are all readying, although you will never be ready in your own strength. But you will be mighty warriors in My strength. Be still, and know that I am God. Listen to me and pray, pray, pray.

-David Manuel