I shared with you last week that the Lord has been working in me. He’s been trying to get me to completely trust and obey Him without giving Him a list of excuses as to why I can’t do what He wants me to do.
As I wrote last Monday, I had been asked to fill the pulpit for a pastor on December 30th, and I immediately had a list of excuses why I couldn’t do this. But the Lord gently let me know that my excuses were lame and that He had the power to help me accept this invitation.
I felt really good about this opportunity…until 24 hours before I was to preach. Saturday morning, I woke up and started sneezing before I ever even got out of bed. As the day went on, I felt worse and worse. By evening…I really didn’t feel good at all. I was sneezing, coughing, had a sore throat and my chest was hurting. I just felt lousy overall.
I went to bed early and all I could think about was the fact that to preach, I was going to need my voice. On top of that, I not only needed my voice, but I needed to be able to speak without coughing my head off. I just had no idea how in the world I was going to be able to share with this congregation the next day.
“Coincidently”, I was reading a book that day that I had asked for at Christmas called, Faith Like Potatoes. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it. It is the true story of Angus Buchan who was just an ordinary farmer in Africa who needed the Lord. After he realized that and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior, his life made a radical change. His book tells story after story where he had faith that the Lord would provide and work in a mighty way…and He did.
As I read that day, I was so challenged to do more “stepping out in faith”. Angus has learned that God has the power to do anything and we just need to put our trust in Him and let Him work!
So as I laid in bed on that Saturday night…I felt the Lord asking me if I had enough faith to trust Him for Sunday morning. I really sensed that He wanted me to remember that He already knew all the details for Sunday and I needed to claim HIS power to be able to preach. He had led me to accept this invitation and so He would make sure and see me through.
I woke up Sunday morning still congested and didn’t feel well at all. As I drove to the church, I just kept telling the Lord that the day was for His glory…not mine…and that I was going to claim His power. I asked Him to give me the strength needed and I didn’t want people to know that I wasn’t feeling well. I even decided to step out and ask Him to please allow me to get through my sermon without coughing at all. I was laying it all out…and expecting Him to work.
As I entered the church, I could feel His Spirit at work. My voice cleared and I had the privilege of meeting many members of the congregation. I continued to pray and claim His power during the service leading up to my time to speak.
When it was time, I began to share and my voice was strong. Twice during the sermon, I could feel a little tickle start in my throat, and each time I claimed His power to take the tickle away. The Lord came through in a mighty way and the first thing my husband said to me when we got in our car was, “You didn’t cough at all!” I felt humbled…blessed…and had a new understanding of God’s power!
I realized after that day, that my word for this year needed to be “POWER”and I needed to claim the verse in I Samuel 12:16, “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do!” I’m guessing that many times I don’t see His power at work because I am in the way. I look at too many trials from my human point of view, instead of claiming His power.
I shared last week that I have been going through a time where my spirit has felt unsettled…not sure what the Lord wants me to do next in my ministry. I’ve come to the point now where I realize that I just need to keep walking through the open doors that He puts in front of me. I don’t have to worry about anything long-term…just keep following Him and trusting that HE has the power and strength to see me through.
What about you? Are you ready to claim God’s power in your life and instead of making up excuses…put your faith and trust in the One who can move mountains? I hope so…because I’m excited to see what He has on the horizon for you and for me!
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