Call and response has a long tradition as a pattern of preaching or speaking in historically black churches. The preacher calls, pauses, and the congregation responds.
It’s more of a two-way conversation than is being preached at, which none of us like very much.
There is similar a pattern in creating, healing, calming a storm, moving your mountain, or commanding a fig tree. Or even having a two-way conversation with God.
This is hard to put into words, and most of us are not used to doing this, noticing or paying attention to the elements of this – so please bear with me and seek and ask to understand – this has been a missing element for too many of us for too long. Including me. It’s taken me years to notice and appreciate this pattern, how widespread this pattern is, and how wonderfully useful it is.
There are elements to this pattern. The hovering of Holy Spirit over what is yet undone or uncreated. The speaking of the Word. Pausing, maybe like a Selah, pausing in the Presence of God. Having called forth a response, we pause for and give room and time for a response, and we pay attention with our spirit in Holy Spirit, and listen or receive.
A conversation with God is a two-way communication. You take turns expressing something or asking something, pausing and then receiving or giving a deep response. And you take turns.
Talking to your mountain, storm, fig tree, healing or other situation is the same. You say something, first in your spirit, and in connection with Holy Spirit, in this case a command. And you pause, listen, calling forth, and inviting and allowing for a response from the deep.
It is not just you talking. Not in a conversation with God, which would be rude and ineffective if you never listened. The same with talking to nature, commanding or calling – there is a response.
Call and response. That is the pattern. Call with your spirit first, in contact with and in harmony with Holy Spirit. Speak, Pause, and actively receive your response.
Too often we broadcast in our communication, but never Selah, pause in the Presence of God. We do not pause and wait for the response in our spirit, which happens before we notice a response in the world.
Response. From God. From our mountain, storm, fig tree, or healing a Centurion’s son at a distance.
And sometimes not directly, do we call or command. But sometimes we do it implicitly. “Stretch forth thy hand”, (commanding what a disabled person could not previously do). Not always commanding healing directly.
Call and response. For many of us, and for me, this has too often been a missing element, and thus a missing key.
Call and elicit, ask for and wait for the response you sense in your spirit, done with Holy Spirit, and there you sense a response before a physical response happens.
All this happens first in your spirit, in harmony with Holy Spirit. Then in the world – response happens.
Miracles happen when faith comes into contact with the Anointing or the anointed. Similarly, call and response for healing or correcting something in nature happens when the Holy Spirit hovers, the Word is spoken, and then there is a pause as we allow space and time for a response.
Whether in creating, healing, commanding nature. It is all the same pattern.
Done with Holy Spirit.
We experience the Anointing as Holy Spirit for a purpose.
Creation of the universe was through the spoken Word of God. With, and after the Spirit was hovering over the deep.
You may notice that you can know in your spirit, with Holy Spirit, when you’ve made contact. You may know you’ve made contact, and a response is in process. Other times, you may not have made contact in your spirit with Holy Spirit with whoever or whatever you are calling to. At least this has been my experience with this. And you may not know why. This is a good time to ask Jesus how to speak or pray. And notice what comes to your spirit and mind next, arriving and in harmony with the Spirit of Holiness.
Call and respond. For many of us, it’s more than a conversation between a preacher and congregation. It’s been a missing element too often in creating, correcting, or healing.
Call. And notice whether you are in contact, and pause for and allow the response. Starting with your spirit, with the Spirit of Holiness, speak a word in harmony with or in Christ Jesus, the Word; pause and allow for a response.
You may find you know what to do next. Including giving thanks and rejoicing!