Returning to the Riverbank: Preparing for Riverbank conference 2024

 

In a couple of weeks time I will be joining lots of other women at The Salvation Army’s Riverbank conference. I attended last year and it truly was a special spirit-filled weekend. To be honest I wasn’t altogether prepared for the conference and it took me a long time to unpack all that God had revealed to me. This year I didn’t want that to be the case once more, so I am actively trying to prepare my heart, mind and soul for the weekend. Not only am I thinking about what clothes, shoes and other stuff I need to pack in my suitcase, I am also thinking about what I need to spiritually pack, or unpack before I go. So I thought that I might blog my thoughts so that if you are coming along you can prepare too!

The name of the conference, riverbank, comes from  Acts 16:13-15 and the encounter that a group of women had with Paul and ultimately the Holy Spirit. It is a powerful story and one that is overlooked so I encourage you to take some time to look at it. The verses say:

“On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.  When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.”

As I read about these women and their love for God I was challenged in how to prepare my heart and mind for this anointed time away.

1. Expect to hear from God: 

From the interaction between and Paul you can see that Lydia lived a life expectant to hear from God. She listened to what Paul had to say with an open heart and a moldable spirit. The scripture says: “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message” - For the Lord to open Lydia’s heart, she needed to have a heart soft to the calling of God and a willingness to be moved by The Holy Spirit.

As I prepare for the Riverbank conference, My prayer is that my heart will be open to the things that God will speak into my life. I pray that I will be willing to be stretched, challenged, encouraged and made uncomfortable and that I will allow the Holy Spirit to fall afresh in my life.  

This prayer isn’t an easy prayer to pray! It takes boldness and courage and an understanding that God may call you to action, and that could come at a cost.

2. Be willing to Respond

Lydia’s encounter required a response. After she had heard from God through Paul, she responded by being baptised. She knew that a changed heart meant action and she wanted to publicly show that God had transformed her inwardly. Not only was her heart changed, but scripture shows that all of Lydia’s household were also baptised. We don’t know who they were but commentators have asserted that this might have meant children and household staff, the people in her everyday life. We don't know if members of her household were there that day or came to faith in the day that followed but I am sure that as Lydia shared her story of transformation it affected those around her. 

When God speaks to our hearts and continues to transform us from glory to glory, it requires a response, sometimes it means a change in our life, sometimes it is a public response, sometimes it means sharing testimony and encouraging other people in their journey of faith.

As I prepare for the riverbank conference I pray that God will give me the courage to respond to whatever it is God is calling me to. I pray that I will be willing to share my faith with others, both at the riverbank and beyond. 

   

3. Prepare to return different

In Lydia’s story we see that when she returned from the riverbank, she expressed generous hospitality, inviting people to come and join her. The experience from the riverbank changed her and this encounter not only changed her life, but those around us and ultimately the face of Christianity in Europe. 

When God speaks to us and we respond, we can guarantee that life will never be the same again. While this can seem scary, I know in my own life it has only ever led to bigger and better things.

As I prepare for the riverbank conference, I pray that I will come home different. I pray that I will be bold in allow God to change me and I pray that from it will flow kindness, joy, generosity and love. 

My challenge to you as you prepare to visit the riverbank is will you  expect to hear from God, will you be willing to respond and are you prepared to come home different. I cannot wait to see what God will do this year!