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Voice of prophetic Lent is always Bible believing, renewing and empowering. Example of such a prophetic voice is the voice of William Tyndale whose last reported words before he was strangled then burnt in 1536 was ‘Lord, open the King of England’s eye!’ Paul Baloche provides a clearer meaning and essence of Tyndale’s prayer. Human eyes is the window to human hearts hence, we need to have the eyes of our hearts opened in order to see the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the heart, not the brain, nor liver, nor any other part of human flesh that is linked to the origin of emotion and conscious. The heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life and regeneration. John Wesley’s warmed heart experience provides us a testimony when the eyes of one’s heart is opened.

Dr Peter Jensen, the General Secretary, Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), a movement with the vision of guarding and proclaiming the unchanging truth in a changing world, provides a helpful reflection on the life, work, prayer of William Tyndale, and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. According to Jensen, Tyndale’s crime was ‘translating the Bible into English.’ To the glory of God, the testimony is that ‘three years after his martyrdom, the King licensed English Bibles to be placed in the parish churches of England.’ With the testimony about Tyndale, a brilliant scholar, ‘the Shakespeare of biblical translators,’ while the church of his day was keeping back the truth in the cause of a religion which obscured the free grace of the gospel,’ prophetic voice sets the captives free from secular seductions and the pretensions of the postmodern atheism through the power, clarity and authority of the scripture.

God answered Tyndale’s prayer, the English Bible became a hot cake not only in England but to the rest of the world. Tyndale prophetic voice and prayer is no longer the prayer for the king alone but for the world again. Prophetic voice challenges error in the church and nation just as Tyndale challenged every error in what people were being told hence, prophetic voice under the ‘confidence in scripture is always under attack and the Gospel undermined.’
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Just as Tyndale based on his personal encounter with the loving God as he read the word of God paved the way and promoted the truth of the gospel and won many souls for Christ, voice of prophetic Lent is to pave the way and promote personal conversion, the truth of the gospel and win many souls to Christ. Voice of prophetic Lent is not ‘a mere academic exercise,’ but a walk and work with God in the Light of His Word. Voice of prophetic Lent beyond a mere therapy, ‘awakes the conscience and made us aware of our hopeless state before the judgement of God.’ Voice of prophetic Lent is about Jesus’ gospel, ‘good, merry, glad and joyful tidings that makes a man’s heart glad, and makes him sing, dance and leap for joy.’

Prayer: Please let us prayerfully sing the song ‘Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.. According to Baloche, let us ask that we see the Lord “high and lifted up.”