May we hear what God is saying to us in this season of repentance and going forward.

You have turned my mourning into dancing;
You took off my sackcloth and clothed me with a garment of joy.
~ Psalm 30:11 ISV

He who is dwelling in the secret place of the Most High,
In the shade of the Mighty lodgeth habitually.
~ Psalm 91:1 YLT

Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
~ Zechariah 14:16 BSB

Greetings to all my dear family members through Messiah Yeshua who are reading this article today. Some of you have been journeying with the Canberra Declaration for some time now, and others are new to this unique group of individuals who are standing with our precious Lord here in Australia and rising up with Him to fulfil His calling and purposes for our land.

Solemn Assembly
Recently on the 26th and 27th September 2020, the National Solemn Assembly was held. Many Christian churches and ministries supported the event, including Canberra Declaration team members. They donated their Zoom infrastructure free of charge to facilitate the event.

Thankfully, the National Day of Prayer & Fasting helped underwrite the event and helped with promotions and provided the management expertise.

Hundreds of people gathered for this event: our beloved Indigenous leaders, leaders from amongst the National Council of Churches and many dedicated believers joined, as one, to humble ourselves under the hand of God and for the sake of our homeland, Australia.

At this Solemn Assembly, our hearts were melted together, relationships initiated and forged, bridges built, and individuals and communities received a transforming touch from the Lord.

Video 1: National Solemn Assembly Day 1 Sat 26th Sep 9AM – 9PM

Video 2: National Solemn Assembly Day 2 Sun 27th Sep 9AM – 9PM

I am sure that I speak for all present that we genuinely love our First Nations people and honour them for all their contributions, that have brought us to where we are today. It is a privilege to walk together with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, going into the future together under the direction of Messiah Yeshua whom we all love and worship.

All too soon, the two days passed and it was time to return to our routines; however, somehow we felt lighter after our prayers of repentance: joy and strength were returning to our souls, and we all agreed that to go forward now is a journey, and not just an event that we attended.

You have turned my mourning into dancing;
You took off my sackcloth and clothed me with a garment of joy.
~ Psalm 30:11 ISV

Indeed, we could say that after the humbling of ourselves, and forgiveness being given, the joy of the Lord returned to our souls.

Different words of encouragement came forth, saying words to the effect that a heaviness had been lifted from our land and that a new canopy from the Lord had descended upon us.

Sukkot
Subsequently, after just a few days, we have entered into the season of Sukkot, which is meant to remind us of His cloud of glory that protected the Israelites while they sojourned in the wilderness.

This is no coincidence, dear family!

It says in Deuteronomy 16:

14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, …
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast … therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

This Sukkot Feast, which has so many layers of meaning, represented His glory cloud covering over His people, and perhaps this is the beginning of what we are experiencing in this season after the Solemn Assembly. Even though we know that the Lord is always with us, there are special seasons of His visitation where His purposes unfold in a supernatural way.

The glory cloud became the covering over the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the Mishkan, so that the Lord could dwell among His people:

And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
~ Exodus 25:8