Blessings

Blessings...what do we think of when we hear this word?  Nice house, family, friends, clothes, food, a job, a car, good health?  What about sickness, pain, rejection, loss of job, or death?  Do these words invoke thoughts of blessings in our minds?  If not, they should.  All of these -- nice house, sickness, etc. -- are blessings from God, whether or not we realize it or can truly appreciate it.

Whenever we experience heartache, pain, or sickness, our first and strongest reaction to God is usually a cry for deliverance.  We want out of this trial/test/storm and we want out NOW!!  Yesterday would have been really good!  Have you ever noticed that it's during the dark times that God reveals Himself to us in ways we wouldn't have otherwise experienced?  He reveals His Mercy, His Grace, and His Love to us in greater measure during these times.  It's because we are more dependent upon Him during the times of storms unlike other times, whether or not we acknowledge that dependency.

For the past ten days, I have endured excruciating pain from a kidney stone.  (I realize there are people who have endured far greater physical pain for a longer period of time than I have.  My pain doesn't even minutely compare to theirs.)  But this is my trial and my blog, so allow me to share some of the things I've learned about God during this time. 

Last Saturday morning, after taking a strong pain killer at 3:00 AM that put me into a deep sleep, I awoke to the sweet overwhelming Presence of the Lord at 5:30 AM.  I loved it that He woke me up to commune with Him.  You see, 5:30 AM is our usual prayer time.  It was also a powerful reminder that there is no place His Presence is not there, not even a drug-induced sleep.  Psalm 139:7-11: "7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me."

Two days ago, while driving, the pain hit me violently and unexpectedly.  It was the worst wave of excruciating pain thus far and I did not have access to my medication.  I began to fervently pray and cry out to God for relief.  Immediately His Presence filled the car and I felt His Love surround me unlike any other time I have ever felt Him.  Did the pain cease?  No.  But, in that moment, I knew I could endure anything in life as long as His Presence was with me.  Hebrews 13:5 says, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have : for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

This song by Laura Story entitled "Blessings" gives us a different perspective on the word.  May you be blessed as you listen.

Note:  After an unplanned surgery and an overnight hospital stay, the kidney stone was removed and I feel great!  This little test was just another part of the process to prepare me for my return to India.  Yes, you read it right, I am returning to India. :-)

Maintaining His Presence

Since I'm stuck at home with painful kidney stones, I've been able to do some long overdue reading.  I just finished a book entitled, "I Dared to Call Him Father" by Bilquis Sheikh.  Written in 1978, it's a true story of a high-society Pakistani Muslim woman's encounter with God.  It was a rather interesting read that kept me turning the pages, anxious to know the final outcome.

Becoming a Christian in a resolutely fundamental Muslim country can make life very precarious to say the least. The ostracising from family and talk in the village of “something having to be done” about this woman who had become an “infidel” were not easy to bear. God protected her from danger on many occasions.

The most profound part of the book for me was her simple approach in living for God.  She based all of her thoughts, decisions and actions upon the continuance of His Presence.  As long as she felt His Presence, she had peace and comfort.  Whenever she began to either fear or put her trust in the ‘arm of the flesh’, His Presence departed. If she repented of these things and simply trusted and obeyed God's guidance, she sensed His presence and protection once again. Once, when she was concerned about not seeing the results of her witnessing, the Lord told her, "The results are not your problem.  All you have to worry about is obedience.  Seek My Presence, not results."  Maintaining the knowledge and sense of His presence was everything to her. 

Lord, may I always be aware of Your Presence.  Help me to quickly seek Your Presence whenever I sense Your departure.  I want to live in Your Presence every moment of every day of my life.  Amen.

I Give Myself Away

I Give Myself Away
"I Give Myself Away" was the theme of today's presentation on India at the First Pentecostal Church in Amite, Louisiana.  All God wants is availability not ability.  We are never too old or too young to be used of God.  We are never under-talented or over-talented to be used of God.  The pastor of the church, Rev. Paul Dickson, is a long-time friend and a personal inspiration to me.  God called him to preach at age 48....the same age God called me to missions in India.

I started the presentation by telling the church a little about myself and how the trip to India came about.  After giving a few facts about India, I told the personal stories of four people I met while in India and how God was using them right now for His Kingdom.  Some of them faced impossible situations with nothing to offer God, not even their lives due to HIV/AIDS, but they offered themselves to God who raised them up and today, they are being mightily used by Him.  Their stories, along with many others, can be found in earlier posts on this blog: Ajinbou Orissa Nanny Siama

I ended the presentation with a slide show and song entitled, "I Give Myself Away."  You could definitely feel the presence of God in the room.  Only the Lord knows the hearts that were touched and the lives impacted from today's presentation.