I strongly believe we are at a strategic time in history, where God is trying to release a wave of fresh outpouring of signs and wonders. In a meeting a few months ago, I heard the Lord say, “The ages are trying to connect.” Those words brought to my remembrance a revelation He gave me about ten years prior concerning “the synergy of the ages.”
While leading prayer at Christ For The Nations Institute (CFNI), my alma mater, I felt there was a part of the DNA of CFNI, and the purpose for which it existed, that was not being walked in. Gordon Lindsay, CFNI’s founder, and one of the father’s of the healing movement of the 50’s and 60’s, established the school based on the supernatural, among other things. I began to pray that the school would experience a resurgence of signs, wonders and the gifts of the Holy Sprit.
As I prayed, I heard the Lord say this to me, “I need you to agree in prayer with Gordon Lindsay”. My first thought was: I can’t do that, God. He’s been dead for 30 years. We are not supposed to talk to the dead. The Lord clearly answered me, “But his prayers are not dead; they’re alive in heaven. There are things he asked of Me, which I promised to give him. I cannot do so, however, until this present generation comes into agreement with his prayers. I need the synergy of the ages.”
That was fascinating to me! I knew I could agree in prayer with the person next to me, but I had never realized I could come into agreement with the previous generations. I knew what Gordon Lindsay prayed, wanted, and stood for, so I continued to lead the meeting by coming into agreement with his prayers as best I could, while simultaneously trying to process something so profound.
That experience catapulted me into a prolonged season of study on “the synergy of the ages.”
Multiplied Power
Synergy represents a multiplication of power—both naturally and spiritually. Physically, it is the scientific principle at work when two individuals capable of lifting 100 pounds each, are able to lift 300 pounds or more when working together. Synergy is also what the Bible is describing in the famous “prayer of agreement” verse, Matthew 18:19. And based on what God spoke to me that day, when we honor and come into agreement with what God did or said yesterday, there is a synergy that occurs in the spirit realm, causing us to experience multiplied blessings of God today.
Through Hebrews 11, God spoke to me further about this interconnectedness of His purposes between the generations. Concerning the heroes of faith spoken of here, verses 39-40 say, “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” The word “perfect” here is teleios and actually means “complete.” Promises to previous generation cannot be completed without us! These verses reveal just how much we need past generations, and how much they need us.
According to Rees Howells, a mighty intercessor of another generation, “no event in history, even though prophesied beforehand in the Scriptures, comes to pass unless God finds human channels of faith and obedience. Prophecies must be believed into manifestation as well as foretold.”
Many promises made to Abraham and other biblical patriarchs were not fulfilled within their lifetimes. These individuals were working with God to create history, but the history they were creating would not be complete without the foundations laid by past generations, and the continued work of future generations. God will actually at times make a promise to us, knowing He will fulfill it—not through us—but through our children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren. As far as He is concerned, if they receive or accomplish what He promised us, He has kept His promise. In God’s mind, the generations are far more connected than most people realize.
When God promised Abraham He would be the father of nations, He was looking ahead to Jacob, his 12 sons, and the nations they would become. He then moved through those later generations to fulfill His great promise. Likewise, when the Lord calls and appoints us today, He sees us in the context of past and future outpourings of the Holy Spirit. He sees us as connected to the First and Second Great Awakenings, and He is looking ahead to the Third Great Awakening, which will result in the greatest harvest of history! I have found my place in this storyline of history, and God desires that you find yours. This generational connectedness and the multiplied fruitfulness it produces is the synergy of the ages!
Honoring the Past
It is clear to me that we will not receive the harvest God wants us to experience without connecting with the past movements and generations. God does not want us to forget what they did and the price they paid. He desires that we honor the prayers and accomplishments of our forefathers, and build upon the foundations they’ve laid.
To further illustrate this point, let’s look into the Old Testament at the anointing of Israel’s high priest (Exodus 29:29, Leviticus 16:31; 21:10). At his ordination, each new high priest was given the same priestly garments worn by his predecessors. Fragrant anointing oil was then poured over his head, which flowed down and soaked these priestly garments. Same garment—fresh oil. Because the oil of each priest’s anointing soaked into the garment, every high priest carried the aroma of all of the previous high priests, along with his own, resulting in a saturation of generations—a multiplied fragrance of anointing.
What beautiful imagery! God created each of us with a unique destiny and anointing upon our lives. He invites us, however, to also walk in the revelation and outpourings received by those before us, enabling us to accomplish even more for His Kingdom. As we agree with the prayers and labors of previous generations, there is a multiplication power to release greater signs and wonders, tear down ungodly strongholds and affect a righteous turnaround in our nation.
It is for this reason that God has called me, and others, to mobilize prayer for America using a centuries-old Appeal to Heaven flag. The prayers of Abraham and other patriarchs are still alive before God’s throne, as are the prayers of those who make up the Godly heritage of this nation. And when this present generation comes into agreement with the prayers of the generations behind us, it will not just add to their prayers, it will multiply the effects, until we experience the greatest awakening and harvest of all time!
Heaven’s baton has been extended to us. Together, we can generate a great synergy of the ages and finish our leg of the race!
Dutch Sheets is an internationally recognized teacher, conference speaker and author of The Power of Hope. He has written more than 20 books, translated into over 30 languages. His first work, Intercessory Prayer, sold nearly a million copies and is being used to empower believers worldwide for passionate prayer and societal transformation. He and his wife, Ceci, make their home in the Dallas area.
For the original article, visit dutchsheets.org.
Billy Hallowell 
Shawn Akers 
James Lasher 
