Releasing Is Receiving

Words He spoke to my heart in a prayer room.

RELEASING IS RECEIVING.

The Lord whispered it to me, true and clear. I was looking out at a forest of trees as the sun set, peeking through with sparkles and winks. I had carved out time to spend in the Airbnb that we had converted into a prayer room for our region’s week of unbroken prayer back in March 2024, and the space still held a sacred air.

I had just listened to an old recording of my small group’s words and prayers over me from my previous birthday. My husband and I co-lead this group with our friends (who own the Airbnb), and we often take time to pray and listen to the Lord for each other, as a way of loving each other. This is a powerful thing to do in community.

I revisited the words that came from each person that night, letting them wash over me, and jotting some down in my journal.

My husband Matt was the last in our group to pray. I’ve heard him pray countless times. I know his voice like I know my own. But this time when I heard it, everything he said felt new.

“Lana, I see you in what I can only describe as a forest of God. Your arms are raised, your palms are up. You are worshiping and surrendering, for sure, but actually more prominent about the scene is the sense that you are receiving.”

When I heard Matt say those words on the recording, I sensed the Lord immediately speak to my heart, “Releasing is receiving.”

I paused the recording and saw a voice text from my friend River. She shared how the Lord had just impressed her to text me, “Give Me what you have and I’ll give you something better.”

Releasing is receiving.

All night I asked the Lord, “What do I have to give You? What have I not given You? I want every room in my heart to be Yours. Even the struggles, even the things I wish weren’t there. But every square inch I bring to You. You have access to it all. Lord, You are always free to come in rearrange the furniture, change the paint, knock down walls. I want that. I want to give You everything.”

The next morning I woke with those questions fresh on my mind.

He showed me many desires I have that He delights in. Even the ones that may seem a little misplaced. He’s been speaking to me about desires a lot this past year. I wrote some about that in another post coming soon for my personal Heart Mapping substack (a ministry the Lord showed me in a dream; join me there!).

But while He delights in my desires and the intricacies of my heart, my methods and understanding of how to meet those desires can often be deeply contaminated by the flesh, the world, and the pride of life (to name a few).

So I give Him my ways. Man’s ways. I give Him my misplaced desires. An example of this might be a desire to be truly known—this desire isn’t bad, we were made for community and intimacy, but it can be convoluted when we feel ourselves looking to have that met horizontally more than vertically. The invitation of Jesus (He knocks, will we open? He wants to know us) is the only way to fully fulfill that desire, whereas chasing it horizontally is like trying to catch the wind. Even if we do manage to grab hold of it, it is momentary, fleeting, and not what will deeply satisfy.

What can we give Him? Our full selves. Our honesty. Our surrender. Our trust. Our ways. Our time. Our everything.

Whatever we truly give Him, what we receive will always be better. And it is not transactional. It is simply making room for what He has wanted to give to us all along.

Releasing is receiving.

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Here is a song about giving God access to all that is inside of us, and giving Him permission to rearrange and even tear down things that need to go. Stay tuned for a playlist I have made that has been speaking deeply to me lately. Be sure to subscribe with your email to get the posts in your inbox when they’re released!