In 1994 I found myself in a dry, desert place, both personally and professionally. My whole heart was longing for a fresh touch from God, a new move of the Spirit in my life and in the life of the church. One Saturday that fall, I went to a renewal meeting that a local congregation was hosting for pastors and ministry leaders. This meeting was primarily a testimony meeting in which various pastors shared about a fresh new flow of the Spirit in their churches.

Eventually they opened the floor for a question-and-answer time. I can still vividly remember walking to the microphone and sobbing and stammering, "I don't get it. You talk about simply praying the words, 'Holy Spirit, come!' and He comes. Well, that has never happened to me, and I don’t get it!"

To this day, I can't remember the answer they gave (there isn't one), and I’m sure they prayed with me (though nothing happened then). But when I returned to my seat, someone sitting behind me slipped me a note. It was a prophetic promise from the Lord, the gist of which was this: "Get ready. I have heard your cry, and I am going to send My Spirit upon you and the congregation this Sunday morning. See Ezekiel 47:1-12."

In response to this, I opened my Bible and read these words:

The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side.

As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?"

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."

My heart immediately leapt with hope and expectation. This was exactly what I was longing for. Yes, Holy Spirit, come! That night I went home and called elders and leaders and intercessors to join me before the service the next morning to pray and ask the Lord to pour out His Spirit on us.

And He did. After we worshipped, I stood up to preach. Weeping, I shared my heart—my dryness and longing— and read the verses in Ezekiel 47. When I gave an invitation, the congregation flooded the altar, and the Holy Spirit flooded our congregation. We asked Him to come, and He came!

That Sunday opened the floodgates to a flow of the Spirit in this House, a flow that continues to this day. In response to this outpouring, the elders wisely called the congregation into an extended season of fasting and prayer. Out of that season of prayer, Thursday was established as a weekly day of prayer, and it continues fifteen years later.

Over the years we have had numerous extended seasons of prayer, and many additional weekly prayer gatherings— including our monthly Outpouring services—have been established. As we gather together corporately in prayer, we are acknowledging that we are utterly dependent on Him and that we long for the outpouring of His Spirit, both in us and through us.

This story and scripture is the wellspring behind the theme for 2008: A Year of Outpouring. Once again I found myself in a dry, desert place, both personally and professionally. Once again my whole heart was longing for a fresh touch from God, a new move of the Spirit in my life and the life of the church. But now—"I got it." I knew what I needed to do. I needed to pour out my heart to God, invite the congregation to ask Him to come, and expect Him to come afresh. I did, we did, and He has.

Every time we open our spirit to God's Spirit, He comes to us with a fresh outpouring of His grace and goodness. The water coming from "under the temple" finds its source in Him. As that water flows, it continually increases in both depth and breadth. The water of His presence always flows to the most barren land and lifeless sea and produces life wherever it flows. This has certainly been both my personal experience and our corporate experience as a congregation.

This prophetic picture of the river is not only a present reality but also a prophetic picture of a future promise. That promise is given to us in the last chapter of the last book in the Bible, where the apostle John wrote:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:1-5

This is the hope and the future we have as the people of God! Does not your heart yearn for that day?

Jesus knows that longing, the longing that has been in the people of God throughout the ages, the longing for the fullness of the outpouring of the Spirit. In response to that longing, Jesus made this prophetic announcement:

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 7:37-39

What an amazing promise! The water, the life-giving Spirit from Jesus, is available to all. If we will come to Him and receive Him, the life-giving water will be poured out both upon us and through us. This is the Outpouring. It is His promise to us as a House of Prayer for All Nations, not only in 2008 but this year and in the years to come, until He comes again.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" and let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. -Revelation 22:17

Maranatha! Even so, Lord, come!

--Pastor Jim Olson