It's Time to Dig Canals

from Sara Maynard

 In early August, during a time of prayer for revival in Canada, I had a vision. I saw myself working as a labourer digging out and building canals in the City of God, to prepare for the next revival. It was happy labour, full of anticipation and purpose. 

Canals create structures for the water to fill and beautify the city, they give the whole city easy access to the water. The canals in the vision were lined with cement, so the water stayed clean and the boundaries of their banks didn’t crumble. I heard: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.” Ps 46:4 

Then the scene changed and I saw the city without the canals. A great flood came in and the water had no where to go to be retained, so it receded and in its wake — a tremendous destruction. 

I knew implicitly that God was longing to pour out a great flood of His Spirit, but was holding back because we hadn’t prepared. If revival came now, we would not be able to steward it well. Yes we could have glory meetings, but wouldn’t be prepared to disciple the harvest. He is looking for us to build for what is coming, not for the level of water we experience now.

Then the Lord began to identify the specific “canals” He wants built and prepared. 
The canals He showed me were: the gospel, (really understanding it and applying deeply it in every area of our lives) / maturing in use of gifts / biblical leadership with accountability / consistent heart healing / spiritual disciplines including deep prayer lives / community / theology / missional focus / servanthood / etc. Many of these areas we haven’t built into our churches in the deep robust ways we’ll need. It’s been easier to be shallow. 
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He’s asking us now to invest intercession and labour into the building of these canals as well as interceding for the outpouring, so we can genuinely host an outpouring, and preserve every drop of this precious water for generations. 


Sara Maynard
Redleaf Prayer