“Preacher, come!”

And I jumped out of the boat and dove deep into the blue water.  Well, at least that’s what my friend said how I responded in his dream.  I heard the call and I jumped quickly, obediently, and deeply.

That dream has encouraged so much since I first heard it about five years ago.  

#1 - I was amazed that the Lord would call me “preacher.”  Although I had believed for a long time though my personal study of the Word that women could be used of God to preach and teach, it was extra special to me that the Lord would use that name for me in someone else’s dream, especially when it was a time in my life when I was not preaching.  It was actually a time in my life when I felt very hidden.

#2 - That I dove quickly, obediently, and deeply.  It’s who I wanted to be: trusting, obedient, and hungry for the deep things of His Spirit.

My friend then went on to describe this amazing city that was under water.  A city completely immersed in the Spirit of God.  A city teeming with life.  A city emanating the power of God.

I had an encounter about two years later in which the Lord spoke to me audibly and called me “Voice.”  He did not say many things in that encounter, but the last thing He said was, “Voice, are you listening to me?”  I was surprised He called me “Voice” instead of calling me by my name.  At the time, I thought it probably had to do with my call to sing and worship.  And I still think that’s partly what He was saying.

Then, it hit me one day.  “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord.’”  Ahhhhh….  I realized that He was not just acknowledging my gift.  He was naming me with His call.  He was marking me with His call.  He was in essence saying, “Tami, YOU are a voice crying out in the wilderness, like a John the Baptist.  YOU are one whom I’ve called to prepare My way.  YOU have been given a voice that rings bold and wild.  And I will use YOU to draw people to Me and help prepare the way for My second coming.  Are YOU listening?  Because I have much to say to my children and I choose YOU as one of my [many] vessels to share My message.”

So, whether I preach or sing, God has given me a voice.  He has given me a message.  Am I listening?  And will I speak what He deposits in my spirit through His Word and Spirit?  Time to dive in!