PROPHETIC WORDS

A WORD FOR THE PROPHETIC COMMUNITY

by Catherine Hoekendijk

March 2026

This prophetic word was given at the NZ Council of Prophets gathering and Behold Conference in Christchurch, March 2026.

Confinement

Recently I had a picture of a cuckoo clock — the kind you see in Switzerland. Beautifully made. Precise. But in the picture, the cuckoo kept popping out constantly. Over and over. It was noisy, erratic, almost frantic. And the strange thing was that because it came out so often, people stopped paying attention. The sound that was meant to mark the hour had become background noise. It was dysfunctional in regards to its design and purpose.

Then I sensed the Lord saying that we are moving into a different kind of time. The cuckoo will only appear at the appointed moment. In between it remains hidden. Quiet. Unseen. And when it comes out and makes its declaration, people will listen again. Because the sound will actually mean something. It will mark the hour. It will define the times.

I felt this particularly for the prophetic community. There has been a lot of noise in recent years — a lot of words, a lot of opinions, a lot of urgency. But the Lord is restoring something deeper: the authority of the appointed word.

When the word of the Lord comes at the right time, it doesn’t need volume or hype. It carries its own weight. Nothing really moves in the purposes of God without His word. His voice announces the times.

I sensed that some of the louder voices that have been part of the landscape — some carrying a tone of arrogance at times — will begin to fade in influence. Some will disappear completely. I heard the Lord say, I’m teaching My people discernment. Volume and visibility will no longer equal authority.

At the same time, many who have been quietly faithful are going to find unexpected favour in this next season.

• Those who stayed steady.

• Those who didn’t push themselves forward.

• Those who simply remained true to their call.

• Those who were formed in the secret place.

They will start to be seen and heard. So for those in the prophetic space, this may be a season to become comfortable again with hiddenness between the hours.

• To wait.

• To listen.

• To speak when the moment actually strikes.

Because when the cuckoo comes out at the right time, everyone knows exactly what it means and they stop to listen.

Action points

• Prioritise time with God over activity for God

• Create space for stillness and listening.

• Resist the pressure to constantly produce or speak.

• Ask the Lord what He wants to restore or reset in your life.
  

Alignment

I saw the landscape shifting — but not just shifting. It was fracturing. The ground was opening in places and underneath there was fire.

“When the earth’s crust fractures, it’s because pressure beneath the surface is shifting the landscape. In the same way, the pressures we see in the church today are revealing hidden fault lines. But God is not simply exposing weakness—He is reshaping the landscape so new rivers of life can flow.”

The shift also meant you couldn’t casually wander from one place to another anymore. Every step had to be intentional and considered. You had to decide carefully where you would place your feet and what ground you would stand on. There’s a clarity coming about alignment.

I kept hearing the phrase: “A new order is coming.”

It won’t be chaotic — but ordered. And strangely, even with all the shaking, there was no sense of rush from heaven. Just the steady rhythm of God’s timing.

It reminded me of Ecclesiastes — that ancient wisdom that there is a time for everything. God’s order still holds even when the world feels unstable. Human history may feel unpredictable, but heaven counts the days with care.

I hear ‘I’m changing guard at Buckingham Palace’.

Immediately it reminded me of the ceremonial changing of the guard — a moment when one watch ends and another begins. It’s precise. It happens at the appointed time. There’s movement, transition, and a visible shift in who is standing watch.I sensed this was more than just about a place. It’s about leadership and stewardship over nations. There is a shifting taking place — a pivot point in the spirit where positions of influence, authority, and governance are being re-aligned.

And with that came a question from the Lord: Will My people take their place on the wall?

This is a call for intercessors to rise. Not with fear or accusation, but with clear, life-giving prayer. A call to speak blessing, wisdom, and righteousness over those who lead.

Scripture tells us in 1 Tim 2:1–2 to pray for kings and all those in authority so that people may live peaceful and quiet lives. Intercession creates space for heaven’s wisdom to enter earthly leadership.

I felt the Lord say: “Do not withdraw from praying for nations. Do not grow weary in speaking life over leaders. This is a hinge moment, and the prayers of My people matter.”

Where the enemy would love cynicism, criticism, and hopelessness to dominate the conversation, the Lord is inviting His people to stand in the gap with faith and authority.

It’s time to pray for righteous leadership, wise counsel, and hearts that can hear the voice of God. There’s a call to intercede for righteous leadership.

Because when the guard changes, who is praying on the wall matters.

Action points

• Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart.

• Allow God to deal with areas of pride, offence, or striving.

• Embrace correction and accountability.

• Ask the Lord to grow depth of character equal to the call.
  

Refinement

In Australia and New Zealand we have taken the word ‘rooted’ and applied it differently to its original purpose, but the word ‘rooted’ has a biblical meaning that is important. It hits differently to words like grounded or anchored which fail to describe going past the surface and into the depths, reaching into the depths for on-going sustenance and stability.

In this time of shaking God wants His people to be not only unshakable, but flourishing. Rooted and grounded. Roots going down deep.

In these days when so much feels unsettled and uncertain, I sense the Spirit inviting us not to panic, but to deepen our roots. There is a shaking happening across the earth — systems, structures, expectations — but the purpose of the shaking is not to uproot the people of God. It is to reveal who has learned how to live from a deeper source, like the trees described in Psalms.

Psa 1:3
They are like trees planted along the river-bank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.,

We are being called again to become people whose roots are highly developed. Trees with shallow roots are vulnerable to every storm, but trees whose roots run deep can withstand winds that would seem impossible.

The Lord is saying: “Do not measure stability by what is happening around you. Measure it by what is happening beneath you.”

Roots grow in hidden places. They grow in the quiet places of prayer, in the steady returning to truth, in the daily choosing to trust My goodness when circumstances wobble.

Some have been trying to hold themselves steady by gripping external things — roles, influence, platforms, familiar patterns — but in this season the Spirit is gently loosening those grips so that our roots go deeper into Christ Himself.

When a tree develops a strong root system, it does two things:

• It anchors deeply

• It draws nourishment consistently

And the Lord is strengthening both in His people. You will not just survive these times — you will flourish in them. The winds may increase, but so will your stability.

I hear the Lord saying:
“I am raising a people who are not easily moved.
A people who do not sway with every cultural current.
A people whose inner life is stronger than the noise around them.”

As your roots go deeper:

• fear loses its grip

• peace becomes your atmosphere

• clarity returns to your hearing

And others will begin to gather around those who are rooted, because stability has become rare.

You will be like a tree planted by living water — green when others are dry, steady when others are shaken, fruitful when others are weary.

This is not a time to strive. It is a time to take root. The deeper the roots go now, the greater the fruit that will come later.

And the promise still stands: Those who are planted in Him will not be shaken.

Action points

• Pray regularly for national and regional leaders.

• Ask God to reveal divine connections and strategic alliances.

• Be willing to move where God places you.

• Release relationships or roles the Lord is asking you to leave in order to focus on your assignment.
  

Assignment

I sensed the Lord speaking about the Church turning inside out.

For many years much of church life has centred around what happens inside the building. But in this season God is mobilising His people again. The saints are being released — not just to gather, but to carry the Kingdom into everyday life.

This echoes the vision that Loren Cunningham described about the seven “mind-moulding” spheres of culture — the areas that shape how a society thinks and lives: family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, business, and the church. This was about influence not control.

God is raising believers to bring wisdom, integrity, creativity and the life of Christ.

J C Hoekendijk often emphasised, ‘The Church was never meant to exist for itself. The Church exists for the world God loves.’

So while there may be shifts happening in national leaderships, there is also a mobilisation happening among the people of God.

This is not about a few leaders stepping forward. It’s about the whole body of Christ recognising their place. It will come through a time of birthing.

Just as in the natural, birth comes with pressure and groaning before new life appears. Some of the tensions and shakings we are seeing are not simply disruption — they are labour pains. Something is being brought forth.

The Church is not shrinking in God’s purposes — it is being repositioned for mission.

This is a missional move of the Spirit.

• Not driven by programmes.

• Not controlled from platforms.

• But carried by ordinary believers who know who they are in Christ.

• Teachers shaping young minds.

• Business leaders bringing integrity into the marketplace.

• Artists carrying truth and beauty.

• Believers in government, media, and communities reflecting the wisdom of God.

“…Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering…You’ll be changed from the inside out…God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” – Rom 12:2-3 The Message

The Church is being turned inside out — so that the life of Jesus flows into every part of society.

Will we take our place where God has positioned us?

When the people of God step into their places across society, transformation begins to flow from the inside out.

Action points

• Ask the Lord: “Where have You positioned me to influence?”

• Step forward with courage in your sphere of influence.

• Encourage others in the body of Christ to take their place.

• Bring the values of the Kingdom into everyday life.

Final Mobilising Prayer

Father,

We recognise the season You are leading us through.
Thank You for the work You are doing in us —
in confinement, drawing us closer to Your heart…
in refinement, purifying our motives and strengthening our character…
in alignment, positioning us where Your purposes need us…
and now in assignment, releasing us into the world You love.
Lord, awaken Your Church.

Raise up a people who listen carefully for Your voice at the appointed time.
Raise up intercessors who will stand on the wall and pray for nations, just as You instruct in 1 Tim 2:1–2.
Raise up believers who carry Your wisdom into every sphere of society — into families, schools, businesses, media, government, the arts, and the Church.
Give us courage to step into the places You have positioned us.
Let Your people be known for integrity, humility, creativity, and love.
Lord, turn Your Church inside out.
Send teachers who carry truth.
Send artists who carry beauty.
Send leaders who carry righteousness.
Send believers who carry the presence of Christ into everyday life.Father, we say “Yes” to our place in Your purposes.
Yes to prayer.
Yes to influence.
Yes to obedience.

Let Your Kingdom come.
Let Your will be done in our nations.
And may our lives become a clear sound —
released at the appointed time for Your glory.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

BIO