Prophetic Word: The Lord Says, 'I Am Looking for Lingerers'

As I lay on the floor worshiping the Lord a few nights ago during a corporate gathering, I heard a song rise up in my Spirit about lingering in His presence. I heard the Lord say to me, “I am looking for the lingerers. I am looking for those unconcerned with inconvenience.”

Our pastor ministered that night with a message orchestrated by the Holy Spirit about the woman with the alabaster jar, and the Lord began to speak to me later about what it means to carry the anointing. I want to share with you the heart of the Father for the lingerers and the fragranced ones. It is a call to intimacy and wild pursuit for the lover of our souls. It is a call to abandon our agenda for His agenda.

Lingering in His Presence

The word linger means, “to stay in a place longer than necessary, typically because of a reluctance to leave; to spend a long time over something.” I am reminded of King David’s words in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that will I seek after—for me to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”

I am reminded of people like Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus and chose the better portion rather than the busyness of life. I am reminded of John the beloved reclining onto the chest of Jesus, and I am reminded of the woman who broke that alabaster vessel at the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair.

These people were lingerers. They knew what it meant not to be in a hurry to leave the presence of God. They spent a long time over Jesus. They remained longer than necessary without concern of inconvenience. They simply desired Him. Here is a question to ask yourself: How long is too long to remain in His presence? If we desire to depart from His presence, then we have departed from the desire to know Him, and our marriage to Him is a sham.

God is desiring those who will perpetually linger in His presence. We must understand that lingering is for the committed bride, and it is not reserved for corporate gatherings. Lingerers refuse to disappear, and they refuse to let their love die for Christ. They are always engaged with the King, and because of their relationship with God, they become the fragranced ones.

The Aroma of Christ

Intimacy with Christ leads to carrying His fragrance upon our lives. His anointing carries a weight, but it also carries a fragrance. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 says, “Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ and through us reveals the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God a sweet fragrance of Christ among those who are saved and among those who perish.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. Every time we choose to release the gospel for salvation, healing, deliverance, repentance and more, we are breaking ourselves open like that alabaster jar, and we are releasing the aroma of Christ. We are spending ourselves to exalt Him from time spent lingering with Him.

Relationship with Christ is vital for seeing our culture transform. It is vital that the body of Christ embrace authentic passion for His presence. Religion is not the remedy. Religion has this way of trying to do damage control when alabaster vessels are cracked open. Religious people refuse to linger because they carry dead men’s bones. When they see lingerers and the anointing, they perceive a mess instead of discerning intimacy.

What religion does not consider is that the fragrance follows the oil. When you linger in His presence, He will change you. When you choose to lean on your beloved, your heart shifts. The church does not need more programs or printed bulletins. We have a surplus of whitewashed tombs. The church needs to get intimate with the bridegroom, seeking His heart and His ways. We are called to carry His fragrance, and it begins with intimacy and a lifestyle of lingering in His midst.

I encourage you to be a lingerer and a fragranced one for Christ. Get uncomfortable with yourself in His presence. You cannot release what you do not possess. It is not our order and the limitations of religion that attract King Jesus. Lingerers and fragranced ones are attracting His attention, and I would rather be a broken vessel releasing the fragrance of Christ than a white washed tomb holding the stench of death. This world needs to encounter those who refuse to leave His presence and carry His aroma upon their lives. {eoa}

Dawn Hill is a Christ-follower and a freelance writer. She writes a blog called “Lovesick Scribe.”

This article originally appeared at lovesickscribe.com.