WELCOME FIRST TIME VISITORS...........
WELCOME
We have just completed a 40-day season of intercessory prayer for this region to "Return to the Lord."
We began on Aug 5 and are continued through September 14th. On the evening of September 4th 25 of us traveled to Blue Earth, MN, and gathered on the banks of the Blue Earth River, go to DAY 31 for a summary. We have continued to pray for 10 more days after our trek to the Blue Earth River. We culminated this journey with a declaration of Jubilee on The Day of Atonement in Mankato See Day 40 for Details.
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After reading the book The Happy Intercessor authored by Beni Johnson, one of the members of our group was led to drive around the city of Mankato and to pray over this city. And God asked him a question... "Is this your promised land?
Hearing
about the recent installation of a scroll bearing the names of those
hung at Reconciliation Park prompted him to do some research
surrounding that chain of events. His research brought him to the place
where he concluded that Mankato has been under a curse since 1862.
What is in a name?
Many years ago according to some accounts the name of our city was recorded with a clerical error, Mankato means (blue skunk - source unknown) the correct (Dakota) name given to this city is Mahkato the river was actually called Makato Osa Watapa (meaning "the river where blue earth is gathered) The blue-green clay found in this region is highly sought after, it was thought to contain copper, and was also used by the Native Americans for war-paint.
*Sioux (enemies) is the name given by the European settlers to this native nation but Dakota is their correct tribal name meaning friends. (being at peace and harmony with all living things.)
Seven years prior to this event, during the spring of 2005, Jim Miller, a Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran, found himself in a dream riding on horseback across the great plains of South Dakota. Just before he awoke, he arrived at a riverbank in Minnesota and saw 38 of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At that time, Jim knew nothing of the largest mass execution in United States history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln on December 26, 1862. In relaying this story, he said "When you have dreams, you know when they come from the creator...”
Why are we going to the headwaters of the Blue Earth?
The blood of innocents (friends*) was crying out from the ground for justice.
The blood of innocents (friends*) was crying out from the ground for justice.
As he prayed about that, he felt we needed to go to the headwaters of the Blue Earth River and pray for this region and cleanse the waters. He connected this to the bitter waters at Marah in the book of Exodus where the Israelites encountered a source of undrinkable water after traveling for three days in the wilderness without
water for themselves, their flocks, and their herds. A tree cast into the
waters was the remedy prescribed by God and the waters became sweet. All
who were thirsty could now drink and be refreshed.
Why are we doing this now?
Why are we doing this now?
You may remember that it was the 150th anniversary of these events that triggered Don’s decision to drive around and pray over this city in January. So it seems that if God spoke to Don this year, that God wants this to happen during the 150th anniversary year of this event.
Some possible connections - A biblical generation has been described by some as 37.5 years (source unknown) therefore 4 biblical generations x 37.5 yrs. = 150 yrs. Another way to look at it is that this is the third Jubilee year. 3 Jubilees (50) = 150 yrs. Either way, God speaking to our members determines the year portion of the question. When?
In
July he re-submitted this idea to those who gather for intercessory
prayer on Thursday nights and he proposed that we pray and ask the Lord when to
do this. The next morning another member of our group was reading Psalm
81 and was deeply moved by what he read; he wondered did this apply to
Don's suggestion, laid out the night before?
Particularly striking to him was the blowing of the shofar (a rams horn trumpet) and he shared that we should among other things blow the shofar at the Blue Earth River.
Particularly striking to him was the blowing of the shofar (a rams horn trumpet) and he shared that we should among other things blow the shofar at the Blue Earth River.
However,
when we began to read Psalm 81 together as a group it became evident to some of us that the psalmist laid out an exact time of the year and he did this using the commonly understood calendar of the day. Looking at the Calendar of God, given to Israel, there is only one time during the year when the trumpet is blown on the new moon and again on the full moon with the inclusion of the solemn day. It is during the three fall festivals of the Lord.
1. Rosh Hashanah falls on the new moon, (this year on September 4th) it is also called the Feast of Trumpets because it falls within the 40 days of Teshuvah (return, repent). Traditionally the trumpet was sounded every morning for forty days. However, on Rosh Hashanah the trumpet is also blown at sundown, to mark the beginning of the new year, “blow a trumpet at the new moon” as indicated in Psalm 81.
2. Day of Atonement, or the Solemn Day falls
10 days later (September 14th this year) also mentioned in Psalm 81, it
was also the day that the Trumpet of Jubilee was blown in the 50th year
- releasing all unpaid debts and the return of all to their tribal
inheritance, a return to their land.
3. Feast of Tabernacles begins just five days later or halfway through the month. You guessed it, Tabernacles, always falls on, a full moon, “at the full moon on our feast day” as indicated in Psalm 81.
Perhaps you were aware that the commandment for Rosh Hashanah is to drink the sweet.
Nehemiah 8:2 indicates that this command was given on the first day of the seventh month. Nehemiah 8:10 Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared: for this is a day Holy to our Lord,. Do not sorrow for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
This is the day we had planned to go to the head Waters of the Blue Earth River to make them sweet. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days beginning Wednesday, September 4th evening through Friday, September 6th evening.
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What do we hope to accomplish?
We
intend to invite the presence of God to apply the tree (cross) of the
finished work of Christ, into the waters which flow into our city to
remove the suspicion, bitterness (Marah), contention (Meribah), hatred, and even a murder spirit.
We hope that God will restore sweetness to the waters of Mankato. (The bible prophetically connects waters to peoples, or nations.) So we are praying for the bitterness of bondage, the anger and resentment that have permeated the region between Dakota and European settlers and their offspring for 3-4 generations.
We hope that God will restore sweetness to the waters of Mankato. (The bible prophetically connects waters to peoples, or nations.) So we are praying for the bitterness of bondage, the anger and resentment that have permeated the region between Dakota and European settlers and their offspring for 3-4 generations.
Exodus 34:7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.2 Corinthians 5:17-21
It was on our eighth day that I realized that this mass execution was actually of 40 (38+2) Dakota braves and that we are marking off 40 days for intercession, This means that each day correlates to one of the men who was hung. If the number of 400 broken covenants is the accurate number, then each day that we pray correlates to 10 broken covenants or (40 x 10 = 400). The number 40 in the bible is a number relating to Judgement. I believe 10 is also a significant number, regarding the law and judgment.
The Daily Web logs are located on the tab to the right of this one. They are posted in reverse order so that the most recent daily weblog is at the top. If you want to read older posts scroll to the bottom and click on older posts it will move you back to the post.
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It has only come to my attention in the last few days, that these 40 days that we felt were appointed by the LORD for us to observe, exactly coincide with the 40 days that the Israelites originally spied out the Promised land during the days of Joshua. After you read this to get a background read the posts on Days 37 & 38. to learn more about this interesting connection.
If you have come here after September 14, 2013, please go to the daily weblogs page. You can go back to days 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.
Please feel free to share this with a friend by sending them a link to this page.And please send your comments along to us as well, we read every one.
David, you have done such a marvelous job of pulling this all together. I feel like I'm just watching things unfold as the Holy Spirit orchestrates timing, place, and people. Somehow every time there is a real God-initiated move it seems effortless as though God's very hand is doing the work and He invites us to come along. I'm getting excited to see what the Lord of Heaven and Earth is going to do in these days. Thanks to everyone who is on this journey with us as we seek the face of God. Don M
ReplyDeleteSo much history that wasn't told when I was a child, and that the children today are taught even less, it is so sad. But Praise God, that He has raised up His messengers like yourself, who have not just shared the rich and many times painful history of our nation, but who stand in the gap and fill in the hedge for the past, present and future. Thank you for your obedience to our Heavenly Father, and for the opportunity to stand in the gap and fill in the hedge with you. May the Lord continue to bless you as you walk in His obedience and share with others so that they too will see the light emanating from Him thru you.
ReplyDeleteDear Brother, we are about to embark on a work of similar reconciliation.
ReplyDeleteOne of our number wishes to create a retreat center in Maine but she is being impeded by many forces.
She and her husband live in the oldest house in a town in Mass. which belonged to the Rev Parish, who was instrumental in the execution of many Christ followers who were falsely accused of being witches.
He owed a Taino/African slave who introduced occult practices to the girls in the famed "witch burnings of Salem". There was also other native blood shed that was wrong here on the land.
I am Taino and I am in the prayer circle and so is the chief of the local Massachusetts Indians (or praying Indians). I do not believe I just read this post for nothing.
I was aware of this site for many months but did not have the opportunity to read it.
Please join us in Prayer that the curses here be broken and that the Father's will be done.
Dear Brother in Christ, we will stand with you in prayer according to 2 Cor 5.19 that you would carry the spirit of reconciliation, healing, and truth as you come before the Father who makes all things possible. Blessings Don M
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