Every 12 months that we cross into the new calendar year, there is always excitement having a 'word' for the upcoming year.
This year, the ‘word’ that seems to be on many people’s lips for 2024 is the word ‘ascend,’ which comes from Psalm 24. I love this word and I absolutely adore Psalm 24! For me personally, this has been a word in season for several years, though it seems to have a freshness for many people now. Being someone who lives on fresh words from His heart, I desperately wanted something that was new for me, so I began to ask the Lord to give me words for 2024.
The two words that I heard the Lord speak for 2024 are the words 1) STAND and 2) BOUNTY.
Although these clearly mean something to me personally, I also believe that they are what He is saying over the body of Christ.
I see that both of these words tie into the true meaning of ‘ascend’ in Psalm 24, and I felt the Lord wanting to take me on an adventure with Him to find more of the fullness of what He is speaking over this next year, especially in the context of standing and bounty.
TO STAND
I Googled the definition of both words, and gained more understanding of what the Lord was trying to say for 2024.
· The definition of to stand is to “have or maintain an upright position, supported by one's feet,” but it also means “to be situated in a particular position.” Another apt definition is: “a rack, base, or piece of furniture for holding, supporting, or displaying something.”
· The word “stand” in Psalm 24:3 (“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place”) is the Hebrew word qûm (Strong’s h6965) which actually means “to arise; to raise oneself up; to endure; to be established.”
Here’s what I feel the Lord is saying regarding this word stand: The Lord is teaching us, through His presence (ascension), to maintain an upright position in order to endure and be firmly established in Him. In this place, we get to display His glory and honour!
Ephesians 6:13 says “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Side note: I do not believe that 2024 will be an easy year. The Lord has shown me (and others) some very specific things that will occur in the coming years that will not be easy to swallow. HOWEVER, Praise be to Jesus alone, it can still be a GOOD year even if it is a challenging year. He is teaching us to STAND and to display His goodness, no matter what. He is calling us to find the reality of high places with Him (Ephesians 2:6 says that we are seated WITH HIM in these high places). He is asking us to ARISE AND TO ENDURE in an upright position, our gaze fixed firmly upon His, so that when the evil days approach the 2024 calendar year, we will not be moved.
If we learn now to stand and position ourselves in that place in Him, nothing will cause us to fall in 2024 or beyond.
BOUNTY
The Father spoke to word bounty to me from Psalm 65.
· The word ‘bounty,’ when Googled, means “something given or occurring in generous amounts.”
· Oddly, though there are many modern-day definitions of this word that do not seem to fit what I felt the Lord was speaking to my spirit regarding this word ‘bounty,’ however, I was thrilled to look at the origin of the word. Bounty, in the context of generosity, comes from the Latin word “bonus,” which means GOOD. It then morphed into the old French word “bonte” which means GOODNESS. Then in the 18th century it became an English word used to describe GENEROSITY DUE TO SOMEONE’S GOODNESS.
This screams the nature of the Father!
I have felt for weeks now the Lord’s invitation into a Psalm 65:11-13 reality.
Psalm 65:11-13 (AMP): You crown the year with Your bounty, And Your paths overflow. The pastures of the wilderness drip [with dew], And the hills are encircled with joy. The meadows are clothed with flocks and the valleys are covered with grain; They shout for joy and they sing.
In Psalm 65, that word bounty in the Hebrew is the Strong’s h2896, the word ṭôḇ, which has a number of lovely words including “beautiful; best; good; pleasant; agreeable; excellent; precious; wealth; favour; glad, happy and prosperous.”
This makes my heart leap because of the GOODNESS of my KING!
I believe the Lord’s desire is to CROWN 2024 WITH HIS BOUNTY, in every area of our lives!
HOW DO THESE WORDS FIT TOGETHER, AND HIS HEART FOR 2024
I have had dreams for several years now of this concept of standing and learning to stand, and I have even taught courses to equip people to stand. I know that this is not a new word. Just as I believe that the word ‘ascend’ is an ongoing word for the body of Christ, I also believe the same for the word ‘stand.’ Likewise, the word ‘bounty’ is a word that describes the nature of the heart of the Father, and brings encouragement, not necessarily a clear direction for the coming year. In light of these things, I have been asking the Lord for an increase of clarity on what He is wanting His people to know for 2024.
Here’s what I believe the Lord is saying, and how these words fit together:
2024, much like 2020 (thought not the same exact circumstances), will be a year of challenges once again. HOWEVER, it does not have to affect us the way that 2020 affected us. 2020 caught the word off guard, but 2024 will not. The Lord is calling us, yet again, to go higher in every area. He is calling to STAND on His holy hill, and to position our hearts there as immovable and established to be able to display His glory. I believe that once we grab ahold of this invitation to go higher and to STAND, we will begin to see the year crowned with BOUNTY and goodness. We will overflow in all areas, even when challenges arise. I also believe that there is a calling to truly know the reality of our being seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).
What an invitation into positioning ourselves rightly for 2024.
**Even as I typed this, I had a flash vision of people climbing hills, standing with their gaze to heaven, and I saw that their feet began to grow roots which went deep into the soil and made them immovable. And as the winds began to rage around them, they were not uprooted or ripped apart; their faces glowed with the glory and beauty of the King, much like Stephen being stoned (Acts 7). And just as Psalm 65:13 says, the hills and valleys around them began to shout and sing for joy (even in the midst of the storm)!
FINAL THOUGHTS
He is calling us to not only stand, but to be established as we stand. To establish ourselves also in an Ephesians 2:6 truth. It is in that place, where Jesus is firmly established within us and we in Him, that we will experience the bounty that the Lord promises to crown us with in 2024. We cannot learn to stand by striving or religious obligations or doing anything in our own strength. Likewise, where we stand is important, and this is where the ascension part comes into play. I believe that when we stand in 2024, we will display the glory and abundant goodness of God, come what may....
Blessings, peace and joy upon you and yours this New Year!
Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash