It was the first of Cheshvan 5772 Rosh Chodesh. Oct 29, 2011 on the Gregorian Calendar. A small group of us had gathered at 9:30 am to honor Rosh Chodesh.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term Rosh Chodesh; it is an appointed time on God’s calendar at the beginning of each of the Hebraic months. It is in fact a very important time and was held with high regard in Biblical times. It was the celebration of the New Moon which marked the beginning of a new month. It was a time to celebrate at the temple, a time to seek the prophet of the day for advice, a time to bring a special thanksgiving offering to the Lord to sanctify the new month.

Psalm 81:1 Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

[2] Raise a song and strike the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the lute. [3] Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, and At the full moon, on our solemn feast day. It was how God set His monthly calendar so that His Feasts would be celebrated at His appointed time. When two witness would go to the Sanhedrin with identical reports of sighting the first sliver of the new moon. A trumpet would be blast and fires lit from mountain to mountain to let the community know it was the eve of a new month.

Psalm 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows it’s going down.

We had agreed to have a time of gentle worship and adoration for the Lord thanking Him for the month that passed and seeking Him for the month we were entering. We shared scripture and insight. It was a precious time of seeking and praying together. As I looked out the window I saw it began to snow. I heard the Lord say, “Come let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow.” (Isa.1:18) The next thought that came to me which I believe was also from the Lord was that this storm is out of season. I held a question in my heart, “Lord what does it mean to be out of season?” The storm increased very quickly making the ride home tenuous. The snow was exceptionally heavy and since the trees were still full of leaves the snow remained on them. Within hours you could hear loud sounds of cracking and banging due to the weight of the snow on the leaves.

One friend commented it was as though through the night she could hear the trees groaning. It actually sounded like war as outside massive trees and limbs were falling everywhere. Large, old, seemingly strong trees were split in two by the weight of the snow and ice on the leaves. Huge branches covered the roads and the electrical wires. By 1:30 pm most of the area lost electricity. Before the storm lifted our county alone had 20,000 customers without electricity. I believe NJ in total had 2 million without service. The storm continued up the eastern sea board. The eastern sea board of late has endured much as a result of difficult natural occurrences often called “Acts of God”. We have had an earthquake, Hurricane Irene and now this storm called by the media “Snowtober”. The earthquake shook us up, literally, but did not cause great damage. Irene caused great flooding, structural damage, much personal hardship and loss for many families. Our state was one that was considered a Federal disaster on a large enough scale that the resident himself came to survey the damage.

I believe, however, “Snowtober” affected a larger number of homes than Irene. “Snowtober” caused less personal damage and loss but many more individuals and businesses were without the comforts we take for granted: heat, hot water and light. Many school systems were closed an entire week. As I pondered what God was saying to me that Saturday morning, (that the storm was out of season), I asked Him, “Are we, too, out of season?” The massive carnage that resulted in the snow storm happened because the trees still had their leaves on them. Fall time had not completed its season ritual of the trees dropping their leaves. Consequently the trees simply could not hold the weight of the snow and many were broken or destroyed. All because the storm was out of season. I heard the Lord say we as a people are out of season with Him. We are not in time with His plans. It is time to be quiet and listen more and speak less. We are walking in presumption of how things should happened and what we should do. Consequently the result is carnage. The storm resulted in communications being hindered. It was a time to be quiet. We had no other choice. That was all we could do. I was led to the following scriptures.

Isa 30: [15] For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength But you were not willing” …[18] Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Isa 32:[17] The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. [18] My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, [19] Though hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.

Whoa! Are you as amazed as I am when God reveals the hidden treasures in His word in answer to every situation? Without a doubt the hail came down on the forest!! So what does it mean to be out of season with the Lord? What does it mean to be out of timing with Him? Where are the areas of presumption holding us from hearing what He wants us to hear and responding to Him? “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength, But you were not willing.” How do we change the last few words to, “.and we are willing.”?

I believe for each of us His response will be different. But for all of us, the way to hear His response is in quietness which will produce the gift of repentance. This leads us to the rest in confidence in HIM, whom we need so much, that HE might increase our strength.

The prophetic voice of this hour is declaring in unison that the old ways of the old season will not work for this time. We are also sensing the enemy is trying to push up a time line of events that is not in sync with God’s time line. But what does it mean for us individually to be out of season and sink with Him?

Examine your heart. Where is your trust level with the King of Kings? Your greatest weapon of warfare is peace. I have come to the opinion that the strength of my prayers is not the multitude or volume of my words, but the quiet confidence I have in the One who hears my prayers. I honestly do not want to speak a word of prayer unless I hear His heart on the matter and often to do that I must be quiet and wait. Silence is a gift we need to embrace in our own prayer time, but I also believe it to be a gift we need to embrace in our corporate times.

The following is a quote from a book that has captivated the desire of quietness in prayer of the hostess of the Rosh Chodesh time I am sharing with you. She sent it to me after our time of prayer together.

“God’s Smuggler”, by Brother Andrew, pages 99 & 100: “In the mail one morning came a letter from the leader of a prayer group in the village of Amersfoort. The Holy Spirit, the letter said, had instructed them to get in touch with me; they didn’t know why–but could I pay a visit to Amersfoort? . I had never met a group like this. Instead of a planned program for the evening, with a leader and a study topic as with the other prayer groups I had attended, these people seemed to spend most of their time listening. There was an occasional prayer said aloud — in no particular order around the room — but these prayers were more like outbursts of love and praise for God than thought-out petitions. It was as though every individual in that room sensed that God was very close, and in the delight of His company wanted nothing, needed nothing, except occasionally to express the joy bubbling up inside. Occasionally, in the listening, expectant stillness, one in the group would apparently hear something else: some instruction, some piece of information that came from outside his own knowledge. This too would be spoken aloud. “Joost’s mother, in America, needs our prayers tonight.” “We thank You, Lord, that our prayer for Stephje has just now been answered.” I was so caught up in this new kind of prayer experience that when the others got up to go and Mrs.de Graaf led me to my room, I could scarcely believe the clock on the dresser: it was four-thirty in the morning.”

Surely they had learned the gift of silence, which produces the fruit of confidence and joy. May we also in this season listen more and learn the rest of God.