Racked With Pain

Saturday, August 02, 2008, 8:12 a.m. – I woke from A DREAM: Someone saw that I was in pain (headache) and she/he brought me four Ibuprofens and two sinus pills, but I only needed two Ibuprofens, so I gave two of them back.

I know there was something in here about making a doctor or dentist appointment for my youngest (US military) son. I can see myself standing at the doctor’s office appointment window speaking with the receptionist. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 21:1-10:

A Prophecy Against Babylon
1 An oracle concerning the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.
2 A dire vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

3 At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.

4 My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.

5 They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!

6 This is what the Lord says to me:
"Go, post a lookout
and have him report what he sees.

7 When he sees chariots
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
fully alert."

8 And the lookout shouted,
"Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.

9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
'Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!' "

10 O my people, crushed on the threshing floor,
I tell you what I have heard
from the LORD Almighty,
from the God of Israel.

My Understanding: Well, the first thing I notice is that vs. 1 talks about the enemy coming like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland. I live in the southern part of the USA, and whenever there is a severe storm, I get a sinus headache.

I also see two kinds of pain mentioned in this passage of scripture: 1) the pain (groaning) that Babylon caused others and 2) the pain that Isaiah felt in his body when he received this vision of this coming invasion. Isaiah felt pain at the thought of such destruction of human life plus the pain his people would feel at the downfall of their trusted ally. Today their most trusted ally is the USA.

Someone saw that I was in pain, i.e. the Lord saw the suffering of his servants at the hand of their oppressors and so he offered four “pain killers,” i.e. Elam and Media plus two others to lay siege of Babylon and to bring to an end all the groaning she caused others, but I gave two back. I’m not sure yet what that means. It could be that they are actual physical storms, too, since the Lord depicted sinus headaches.

I believe that Babylon today is the USA and that the Lord is going to bring “two pain killers” against us in order to relieve the suffering of his servants, i.e. his sheep and to bring revival to our nation. The second part of this dream would seem to indicate that the purpose of this is to cure us of some ill since I was making a doctor appointment for my military son who usually symbolizes the USA or the military or a leader in the USA. Our Lord is usually the doctor and he uses other people, nations, natural disasters, etc. as his instruments of judgment; his healing instruments, too. So, my son could represent the invading army, as well.

A window is usually symbolic of revelation so I do believe that when I was standing at the doctor’s office reception window that it symbolizes me receiving this from the Lord. I think it also symbolizes the idea of a lookout reporting what he sees to those who would “receive” the news. The news is that the Lord God Almighty has set an appointment for the USA to be visited by the doctor and his instruments of divine judgment so that we can be healed of our spiritual ailments and return to our Lord.