Dear Esthers,

The Hebrew year 5786 is being marked prophetically as a year of awakening and renewal. This is more than a poetic phrase; it is a clarion call from God. Renewal requires awakening. Awakening demands that you no longer sleep through seasons that require your attention.

When the Lord awakened me in a season of transition, I realized He was not just calling me to “wake up” but to rise up. He was shaking me out of the comfort of hiding and the ease of silence. Like Esther before the king, I had to face the risk of stepping forward, even when fear whispered for me to remain quiet. That awakening did not come in a sanctuary filled with applause. It came in my private moments of wrestling with God, where I had to decide if I would keep sleeping through destiny or rise to meet it.

Awakening always comes with a sound. For some, it is the midnight cry of Matthew 25: “Here’s the Bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”

For others, it is the alarm clock of the Spirit interrupting old cycles. For all of us, it is God saying, “You cannot stay where you are. It’s time to move.” It is crucial for us to hear and know that sound for ourselves during this season. Then to obey it.

Renewal is not just about feeling refreshed. It is about returning to your original design. It’s about God peeling back layers of weariness, compromise, or delay until what remains is the radiant daughter He formed before the foundations of the world. You may feel tired, overlooked, or even broken, but in the hands of the Lord, awakening births strength, and renewal breathes new life into dry bones.

So I ask you: what part of you has fallen asleep? Your prayer life? Your passion? Your prophetic edge? Your belief that you are chosen? Dear Esthers, the trumpet is sounding. This is not the year to remain dormant. This is the year to arise, awake, and be renewed in purpose.

Prayer

Lord, awaken me where I have grown weary. Renew my heart, my vision, and my passion for You. Shake me out of compromise and set me ablaze with Your Spirit. I declare that this is my year to awaken and to walk in the fullness of who You created me to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Standing with you in the awakening,

Dr. Roxane Smith

The General