[Bishop's Fantasy?]
This is MY story and I'm sticking to it!God's Sense Of Humor
2007-05-11
I'm in Omaha to attend the Beth Moore conference. She's written many Bible studies and travels doing speaking engagements all over the country. Each of her conferences is tailored to the city she'll be speaking in based on prayers and emails she receives prior to the scheduled dates. When the question of attending came up, I originally hadn't planned on being here. To be honest, her voice grates on me and I don't always agree with what she says. Last week, someone who bought tickets ended up with a scheduling conflict and needed to sell her tickets. I called my friend Roxanne and it worked out that we could both come. So, here I am. I came with an open mind and I know I badly needed time to get away and study God's word.
Imagine my surprise when she had us turn in our Bibles to Philippians 4:4-13. I was sitting next to our Women's Ministry leader (who is aware of all of what's gone on) and she and I both got a huge laugh over the chosen text because of my new tattoos. She said, "See, you were supposed to be here!" She's right, of course. Beth spoke about anxiety tonight - about what it does to a person and I actually got a lot out of what she said. How anxiety leaves a person open to spiritual attack, but prayer closes that avenue. How anxiety causes a person's attention to be divided, wreaks havoc on their emotions, causes them to behave in ways that are unreasonable, and distracts them from what they should be thinking about. She also talked about how people tend to fall into a rut in their prayer life - saying the same things over and over until it becomes more ritual and less communication. She said something that really spoke to me in reference to the relationship between reading God's word and prayer.
She made the assertion that God speaks to us through His Word and in doing so, opens up a dialogue. I can read a verse and then talk to God the way I would to a friend - honestly and openly. If it doesn't make sense to me, I can ask for clarification. If it does and I can see the relevance in my life, I can say that, too. She reminded me that my relationship with God is supposed to be a personal one and that I should talk to Him with confidence that He's listening. That, even though He knows what I'm going to say, He still listens to my words and meets me right where I'm at. It got me crying because I thought about all those hours I spent talking with the Bishop, certain that he was listening. I know he was because he could reference those earlier conversations, tease me about things I'd said, pick up where we left off, and do things he knew would impact me because he knew what was important to me. I was able to do the same for him because I was listening just as intently. He was taking the place of God in my life. It gives me hope that I can take those experiences and use them as a reference point for what my relationship with God should be. I've taken a really circuitous route, but maybe I'll get there just the same. It was a really great evening. At the end, we sang "In Christ Alone". It's a powerful and meaningful song for me.
Verse 1:
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
Verse 2:
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift if love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on the cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ in I live
Verse 3:
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then, bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He us mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
Verse 4:
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand
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