Oh my, what a crazy week this has been so far... I don't know why the Lord has chosen this time to speak so much to me in such a small amount of time, I don't even understand.
First and foremost, Friday night, my flight is delayed until the next day. Obviously, being the type A personality that I am, this doesn't sit well with me. To add to the madness, the ones who were going to pick me up from the airport that night couldn't, and the switch was on such short notice. I texted more people, and couldn't find a ride, so I just laid in bed, soaking in my own self pity God, I want to go home, that's all I want to do... Then the Lord rebuked me, holding nothing back. "How can you be so selfish? You just had a great week on vacation, you didn't have to do anything, you got a new phone, and you were in a car accident and were completely fine." ...So this is the part where I feel like a complete idiot (thankfully God doesn't see us that way), and give my selfishness to the Lord, because He can bear my burdens better than I can. All of a sudden, my new phone dings, and I get a message from a friend, offering to give me a ride home. Thank you Jesus
I get home, and the house is a mess, oh well, I had been up since 4:30 that morning, so I take a nap, and get up. I'm bored, so I decide to read. I put on "Power through Prayer" by E. M. Bounds on audio (if you haven't read it, you should), and it put in me a stronger resolve to seek the Lord, and even in the mornings (I'm not a morning person). I kneel down beside my bed to seek the Lord. The three big things I pray for:
1) That God would forgive me, and take away my sin and selfishness
2) That God would give me, my roommates, and others places to live
3) That God would open my eyes, my spiritual eyes to have a greater revelation of His character, to see needs around me to help me meet them, and my actual eyes, as He has promised my healing through numerous people
So Sunday morning comes around, and I'm up early, asking God to help me make time for Him. Sunday morning after church, I meet up with my good friend Doug Chan, who pays for my lunch, and introduces me to his friend Brent, who is going to Russia to serve for a year (pray for him). He shares his testimony with a couple of us at lunch, and it was pretty cool. As he was talking, I began to think about my testimony, and the prayer the night before, and the times people have told me that God would heal me ...but I don't know if that's true, I think I'm just that token handicapped guy that all the pentecostal people want to see healed, everyone wants a show I thought to myself. Whatever, lunch was over, and I was going to hang out with Doug, so we all said our goodbyes, I said goodbye to brent and his girlfriend as they got in her car. The engine came on, and we started walking out toward the cars. Then the engine came off again, and Brent came out and approached me. "Seth, I don't know if you're comfortable with me asking this"...oh, he's probably going to ask me about how I became blind, or how much I can see or something. Why do they always feel awkward about asking?..."But I was wondering if anyone has ever prayed for your eyesight to come back before" Wait, what????? I don't feel like I have enough faith for it today I told him my testimony kind of, and about all of the people who said that God told that I would be healed one day, and about the skepticism I've had about people praying for me, because nothing happened yet, so him and doug, and other good friends laid their hands on me. Before we prayed, Brent said something crazy! "A lot of people come to these types of things thinking that they have to have enough faith, but it's really just a relationship with Jesus..." So we start praying and glorifying Jesus. The thought comes to my mind about social security, and about if I got healed, I wouldn't get my payment, then another thought popped in, claiming that I didn't get much anyway, and that it can't help me out like God can. They finished praying, and I wasn't healed, but everyone was feeling edified, and the Lord was speaking to us individually about a bunch of different things.
Doug is staying at Josh and Valorie Wheeler's house. This a great couple that is very dear to my heart, and they are going to be full time missionaries. Check them out at www.joshandvalorie.com We went to their house, and Josh shared an awesome passage with us from the book of Isaiah
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Isaiah 28:9-13
It's arguable how much of the future God actually knows in His divine foreknowledge, but I know one thing, God knows a whole lot more that we do, and He reveals it to us just a little bit at a time. If God had told me three years ago that I was going to be a radical Christian, living my life for Him, going into ministry, and leading a small group, I wouldn't have believed Him, or I would have walked away, because that's not what I would have wanted. My life is in God's hands, and it's just my job to glorify Him. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That's what I have to do, nothing else, He'll take care of the rest.
Oh, I got called yesterday about a unique housing opportunity, so come alongside me in praying for that. God gets the glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment