Seeking God’s voice for the NHS Christian
Network
We set out to listen to God for the NHS Christian Network over a series of prayer sessions
which we set up to seek God and His voice for the NHS Christian Network. These sessions
were open to anybody in the NHS Christian Network.
Vision for the NHS Christian Network
In addition to the original vision of every Christian working in the NHS being connected to at
least one other Christian in the NHS, we discerned the following vision for the NHS Christian
Network:
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There is a prayer hub in every NHS organisation
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Every NHS employer and its managers see the benefit of prayer hubs
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Every Church has workplace support for members working in the NHS
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God is working in and through Christians in the NHS to put a new heart in people and removing their heart of stone
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God is overseeing the process of sewing, tending and gathering in His field, through Christians in the NHS
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God has a harvest within the NHS – the Lord of the harvest
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Christians in the NHS are the light through which God shines with compassion, miracles, signs and wonders
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The NHS is Jesus' national healing service
Prophetic word for Christians in the NHS
This prophetic word was developed.
The prophetic word is based primarily on John 11:38-44 which is the account of Jesus
raising Lazarus from the dead. The sense we have is that it is about the experience of
Christians working in the NHS and a process God will take each through to become His
witnesses in their workplace.
The prophetic word describes four stages as they relate to Lazarus coming back to life, that
represent a personal transformation from being completely inactive in our faith in the
workplace to fulfilling our purpose and calling as Jesus’ witnesses.
1. When Lazarus was dead in the tomb, he was not aware he was dead, he was
unconscious. This represents Christians working in the NHS who are spiritually
asleep and are unaware of this.
2. When Lazarus came to life, he was in the dark tomb, he would not have known how
he got there. This represents Christians working in the NHS who begin to awaken
spiritually and become aware the spiritual darkness surrounding them for the first
time. If you are at this stage, you may wonder how this happened, and be confused
and disorientated by this experience, as you are still in a spiritually dark place.
3. When Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus calling him out into the light, he came out
and knew he was now in the light, but was still wrapped in grave clothes so couldn’t
see what was around him. This represents Christians working in the NHS who hear
and respond to Jesus’ call to them. If you are at this stage, you will know you have
come into the light, spiritually, but will still be unable to see what God is doing in the
NHS around you.
4. Finally, when Lazarus’ graveclothes were removed, he could see everything clearly,
including Jesus smiling at him. This represents Christians working in the NHS having
the trappings of their spiritual slumber removed and seeing what God is doing around
them in their place of work and being able to align themselves with this and join in
with what God is doing. At this stage, you will be Jesus’ witness, empowered by the
transformative impact of seeing and encountering Jesus. You will be a witness
through the way you do your work, the way you relate to colleagues, you’re your
experience of working in the NHS will be characterised by having a sense of Jesus’
work in and through your workplace.
We asked God what this darkness is, that is being exposed. He pointed us to Exodus 17: 8-
16 where Israel is fighting the Amalekites, and the idea of an ‘Amalekite spirit’. This is
oppressive, deceptive, overtakes the person's weakness - attacking people who are tired
and afraid, holds the person captive and is a threat to their wellbeing and value. From it
arises voices such as:
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“I'm so tired”
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“I'm afraid about what will happen”
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“There is nothing I can do”
God says: "Stay on the hill, stay on the vantage point and pray against the Amalekite spirit.”
When Moses was on the mountain, he got tired, but he had support from two others who
held up his hands. When Moses hands were held up, the enemy was defeated. Moses said:
"The Lord is my banner..."
God is raising up the hands of Christians in the NHS as a sign of surrender to Him and a
weapon against the enemy. God himself is to be a banner over the NHS, raised by the
uplifted hands of His people.
In the final stage of the transformation set out above, of becoming a witness of Jesus in the
workplace, we had a sense of a change in the way you do your work which is visible to others,
of walking boldly in the light and taking action to represent Jesus. There was a sense of
having new clothing - no longer wearing death clothes, which is experienced as a renewed
hunger and thirst for God and intimacy with God as something new and tangible.
We had a sense of a strong uprising because of the change of clothing leading to the voice:
“I understand my identity now.”
God directed us to Jeremiah 22:29:
“O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!”
Once you have the grave clothes removed and can see Jesus, you are positioned to birth
revival in the NHS and speak life to the situation around due to God’s grace and resurrection
power flowing through you.
Arise and shine (Isaiah 60:1). This is a declaration and decree with authority.
We received a picture of grass and flowers pushing through a paved surface. No matter how
thick the slab of concrete, the plants always pushed through. There was a sense that
believers are to push through resistance.
We saw a picture of digging a well; making progress digging with a shovel and then hitting
something harder that wasn't moving at all. There was a sense of asking the Lord what to do
now and God saying to use a different tool, take a different approach to remove the
hardness - change the strategy.
We were reminded of the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23). The seed is the word of
God, the good soil is the receptive heart. There was a sense that God wants to have His way
in the hearts of Christians working in the NHS, which will be a dwelling place for Him.