Georgia

Over the past month I've been poking around the colonization of Georgia, my home state. I've become more and more aware over the years of how history really is His Story, and returning to the history books to look behind the apparent occurrences of happenstance and see the hand of Sovereign God.

From the House of Prayer, where many gatekeepers gather to contend for the Kingdom come, our attentions are often drawn to things "212." There were 212 gatekeepers in the original Tabernacle that David build for 24/7 worship and prayer. Several prophetic events have occurred at 2:12 on the clock. The boiling point of water is 212 °F. IHOP-Atlanta went 24/7 on Feb. 12 2006(2/12/...). So when my wife came across a booklet of things to do around Savannah and saw that Georgia was founded on 2/12/1733, I knew that was a divine appointment. So I started digging, and here's a few of the powerful things I discovered.

James Oglethorpe and his group sailed across the Atlantic ocean for 88 days on a ship called the 'Anne." This of course reminds me of the intercessor, 'Anna' (Lk 2:36-38)

They arrived at the sight to be Savannah on 2/12/1733.

John Wesley was the first minister of Georgia.

Georgia's charter was unique among the first colonies: to afford an opportunity to the unfortunate poor to begin life over again (specifically it was a new start for those released from debtors' prison by an edict made a year prior), to offer a refuge to persecuted Protestants of Europe, and to erect a military barrier between the Carolinas and Spanish Florida. Said more simply, Georgia was meant to be a place of hope for the poor, freedom for the persecuted, and the south gate (militarily) of the colonies.

The original charter outlawed slavery.

The third oldest jewish synagogue in the America's (Mickve Israel) was established by Spanish and Portuguese jews who had fled the Spanish Inquisition via London and found welcome in Savannah July 11th 1733 (just 5 months into the new settlement.) Among these jews are many who proved vital to the community, such as Dr. Samuel Nunez who curbed an epidemic and was credited by Oglethorpe as saving the colony.  From it's beginning, Georgia was a place of refuge for Jews.

There was also positive interaction and fellowship between the early settlements and the Native Americans.  Chief Tomochichi of the Yamacraw was a good friend of Oglethorpe.  And Wesley learned all of the native dialects, and was well known among them.

The original seal of our state bears out the purpose of Georgia with the phrase "not for ourselves, but for others" (in latin).

After those founding leaders and a great start, the colony took a bad turn into allowing slavery, increasing landholdings, shady treatment of the first peoples, and more.  But the beginning... that's my state's heritage.  That's what we're getting back to.  That's what makes Georgia a significant sphere of influence in the spiritual realms.  That's why I'm honored to be a Georgian.