HISTORY
Connecting Generations and Cultures
Through Kettle Prayer
By Wendy Griffith
CBN News Senior Reporter
CBN.com
--What does an old kettle, once owned by African-American
slaves, have to do with bringing revival to America? Pastor, and
well-known intercessor, Dutch Sheets is convinced the two are
related.
Sheets and others recently took the kettle on an east-coast tour,
targeting some of America's key historical sites.
The kettle is old -- about 250-years-old. It's black, and it
doesn't look very spiritual. But lean in a little closer and you
may even hear the prayers -- prayers prayed by slaves generations
ago, but prayers still very potent today!
"The
significance of the Kettle is that God started speaking to me
about synergy," says Dutch Sheets, pastor and author, "of
us coming together today, but also coming into agreement with
past generations. He gave me Zechariah 14:20, which says, "the
cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the bowls before
the altar."
He said, "I want this to picture the bowls in heaven that
are filled with the intercession of the saints, that are poured
on the earth at the right time."
The kettle actually belongs to Will Ford of Texas who met Dutch
Sheets at a prayer conference. When Sheets spoke about how agreeing
with prayers of the past could produce a "synergy of the
ages", Ford was reminded of his ancestor's kettle and how
they used it as a sort of prayer shield to avoid being heard by
a cruel slave master.
"If he heard them praying, he would beat them because he
figured they were praying for freedom," Ford explains. "So
what they did was, they would take this pot into the barn late
at night, turn it upside down, prop it up with a rock and they
prayed for freedom, so the pot would muffle their voices.
It turns out that Ford's ancestors weren't praying for their
own freedom, since they didn't think it would happen in their
lifetime, but for the freedom of future generations. Will and
Michele Ford believe God wants to use this story to unite Christians
of all races and all generations.
"Let's be one. We're already one. God said we're one. And
let's move forward and draw on our spiritual heritage. If I as
a black man can claim Jonathan Edwards as a spiritual father to
me, then why can't white people who are Christians claim the spiritual
heritage of these people that prayed underneath this pot."
Michele Ford agrees. "It's not just about the races, it's
about us coming together, uniting as one body. And this pot is
not an idol for us, it's just a symbol that God has left for us,
something we can use."
The kettle tour began on Jamestown Island, America's first settlement,
with a quick history lesson and a reminder of America's biblical
roots.
"The essence of it is talking about unity," says historian
Steven Smith, "hanging together, on the basis of God's word."
During the tour, participants stopped at key sites to pray for
the healing of our nation and the tearing down of spiritual strongholds.
Derek Brant traveled all the way from London, England to ask
forgiveness on behalf of the English settlers who landed here
nearly 400 years ago."
"We didn't come lovingly," Brant explains, "we
just kicked the Indians off their land, and that breaks God's
heart. I need to be someone coming and saying I'm just so sorry
for that."
In a somber and emotional ceremony, Brant symbolically re-traced
the English settler's arrival to Jamestown. He stepped out of
the James River carrying a rock he brought from the Thames River
in England. He then walked up on shore through a symbolic gate
of Native American Indians, and this time, the greeting was loving.
"We welcome you brother," one Native American declares.
"Welcome to our land."
"Thank you," Brant replies, "thank you, thank
you. A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another.
By that will all men know that you are my disciples."
Sheets called being in Jamestown a very sobering experience.
"I believe we are here at the womb of the nation, and to
me, I couldn't be any more thrilled. But it's very sobering to
me that God would say come back here and do this."
"I believe revival is coming to America," Sheets adds.
"I believe because of the roots, and what happened here initially,
I believe the Lord told me -- and I've had it confirmed through
many others -- that we're not going to see revival in America
until we see the northeast gate is open. This is a gate to the
nation spiritually, and I believe this is a part of it. If we
can get breakthrough here, I believe it will spread to the nation."
"But I do believe revival will come in through this area,"
says Derek Brant, "because it was the first founding area
of the Scriptures coming in -- the Gospel coming in -- so that
to me is very exciting."
"It's like the Lord is saying 'breakthrough' now,"
Sheets continues. "Don't be coming to repent again here.
There's been repentance. Now begin to believe Me for breakthrough.
I believe we're going to see revival, soon!"
And Sheets believes that God, in His mercy, preserved this kettle
that belonged to slaves who knew no freedom, to bring about spiritual
freedom for this generation.
More
from the Black History Section on CBN.com
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