It was a strange feeling. I was having my quiet time with the Lord and He suddenly impressed a thought in my mind. I sensed He was telling me that He was going to ask me to do something…and I shouldn’t immediately say “NO”. I’ll be honest...that thought made me really nervous, because I wondered what He would ask of me, and would it be one of those “push me way out of my comfort zone” moments?? Time would tell.
But I didn’t have to wait long. 24 hours later I received a text from a pastor friend who wondered if I could preach for him on July 27th. Of course, my first thought was “NO”…because as you know…my health has been a little shaky for quite some time…especially since I’ve struggled with coughing for 13 months. So how in the world would I be able to preach? It just wouldn’t be feasible and so I would have to text back and say “NO”.
Then…I remembered what the Lord impressed on me the day before. Could this be what He was talking about? Did He know me so well that He had to pre-warn me…because He knew what my immediate answer would be? The timing seemed suspicious to me. I decided I better not say “NO” right away, just in case, this was something I was to consider.
So, I asked the pastor if I could have 24 hours to give my answer and he was gracious and said that wouldn’t be a problem. Over those hours…I prayed, prayed and prayed some more. I asked a friend to pray with me. When the time was up, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that my answer was to be “YES”. I just had no clue how I would pull this off…unless the Lord intervened and healed me.
To complicate this situation, the pastor told me that they are doing a year-long series on the writings of John and so he needed me to preach on Revelation 2. Revelation? Seriously? I can think of a lot more “fun” books in the Bible from which to write sermons. So I, rather grudgingly, sat down and read through Revelation 2…and verses 8-11 jumped off the page at me. The church of Smyrna was speaking to me…and I instantly knew why I had been asked to speak and why these particular verses were ones I was supposed to share.
Was I healed completely by July 27th? No, I wasn’t. In fact, as I attempted to sing along with the congregation during the time leading up to my sermon…I began to cough…which wasn’t a good sign. I stopped singing and began praying what I had prayed since I had been asked. I prayed that I would not cough at all and that I wouldn’t even get a “tickle” in my throat so my voice would be clear and strong.
The time came for me to share and as I stepped in front of the podium…a feeling of strength and power coursed through my body. It’s hard to even explain. It was as if something had been poured in and through me and when I began to speak, my voice was stronger than it had been in many, many months. I was able to share what the Lord had laid on my heart…without any coughing at all and even without a “tickle” in my throat. Only because of God.
Why am I sharing all of this with you? Because I believe the Lord wants me to share with you, over the next few Mondays, what I learned these past weeks as I prepared for July 27th. He spoke to me through the brothers and sisters from the Smyrna church. How these amazing Christians endured hardships was inspiring and convicting…and maybe you need to learn from them too.
Has God asked you to do something and your immediate answer was “NO”? If so, why not take this coming week and begin praying about your answer. Ask someone to pray with you. Make sure that your “NO”…wasn’t supposed to be a “YES”. Because I’m here to tell you…if He calls you to a task you don’t think you can do…He is able to step in and take over and give whatever you need…exactly when you need it. Yes, you can do it…only because of God.
By the way…to so many of my readers…thank you. During these past six weeks, you have been amazing. Many of you contacted me to check on me and to let me know that you were lifting me up in prayer. Some of you sent scripture verses to encourage me and to help keep my focus on the Lord. What an inspiration you were to me, and I just can’t thank you enough. Overall, my health has improved some and we think we may have an idea for a diagnosis. I will see a new specialist this month and see if he confirms it.
Again…should your “NO” be a “YES”? Let’s pray about it this week and see where the Lord leads!
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