Changing Of The Guard 5/31/22
One morning I woke up and I heard “the changing of the guard.” I heard it so clear that I thought for sure someone must have said it. After a few days went by and I kept hearing the phrase in my head I knew the Lord was trying to speak to me about something. Naturally the first thing I did was to Google what the changing of the guard was. I thought maybe it was when nurses change shifts at the hospital. The most common and popular meaning of “the changing of the guard” is explained by a ceremony done in England. Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is the ceremony where The Queen’s Guard hands over responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace to the New Guard.
What stuck out to me most was that the sole purpose for these guards was to protect the palace and the Queen. The next thing that stood out to me was the detailed process of changing guards. When the guards change shifts it is actually a whole ceremony and it’s something that tourists or visitors will come to witness because of how detailed it is. Something that I thought was interesting was that when the old guards switch with the new guards they “Present Arms” and then the Captain of the Guard ceremoniously hand over the palace keys.
There is something so striking of handing over the keys or even what a key represents in the kingdom of God. A verse that I have felt and a lot of people have commonly prophesied over the year 2022 is Isaiah 22:22 ” I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
I feel in this specific time in history there is a changing of the guard. This is a good thing and it is a passing on or a passing of the baton. I’m reminded of Moses when he passes on authority to Joshua. In recent there has been much division in the church between denominations, generations/age groups and the devil loves a divided kingdom. Just like how the ceremony in England is something fascinating and beautiful to witness. The transition is seamless, clear and well done. So I feel this changing of the guard in the spirit needs to be. It is a time of equipping and raising up new leaders.
Many have felt a shift and this is part of that shift. Those who have been a voice for a long time will be taking on a new role. Part of this role entails mentoring, equipping, covering and accountability. There are new emerging voices. These new voices have been given the grace to speak and influence this new generation and they need covering, support and accountability from the generation that came before them. The Lord is speaking of real kingdom partnerships between the generations. In England during the ceremony as each new sentry is posted, a Corporal distributes any special orders, previously collected from the Palace by the Captain of the Guard. God is speaking that there is much wisdom to be poured out from previous generations onto these new emerging voices.
I felt the Lord speaking to the previous generation who were more in the spotlight or had a platform that will now be taking on a different role. There is no “more important role”. I felt the Lord speaking about how we all are a part of the body of Christ and just one missing part the body cannot function to the best of its ability.1 Corinthians 12:18″God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.I felt a warning about pride or holding on to the way things “used to be”. In fact if those in the old hang on and refuse to relinquish the transition it will be a detriment to themselves.
The reason the guards change shifts is because it is not sustainable to be on high alert all of the time. There is a sharing of the burden by changing in and out. I also feel something heavy about the old wineskin to new wine skin. God is doing away with this old way for a reason. It doesn’t mean the old was wrong and the new is right. It means the old served a purpose for that time and now God is doing a new thing that we all are a part of in new ways.
Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
Mark 2:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
Change of the guard: https://changing-guard.com/changing-the-guard-buckingham…