Monday, February 23, 2009

Winds of Wonder

After a challenging several days, I felt zapped and sapped entering into our monthly iPray prayer meeting at Cornerstone on Sunday evening. I preached Sunday morning to the surprise of just about everyone. Though I feel that the content was good and needed, hindsight being 20/20, I should have taken a “day-off” from that part of ministry. It’s quite difficult to deliver the positive life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ when you are in the midst of dealing with tragedy.

Last night, Karlene and I came to the church early before the prayer service where I made my way to the altar and fell on my knees feeling as though a 10-ton weight was on my shoulders. The combination of personal, professional, and spiritual issues all seemed to be crashing upon my life – all at once. Actually, I seemed to be crashing under the heaviness of so many internal and external circumstances converging like the perfect storm.

Karlene began the prayer service with me still praying at the altar. I arose and made my way to my office where I washed my face, attached my microphone and headed back to the sanctuary for the prayer service.
As soon as I walked through the door, tears began to well up in me again and I headed to the front row. Karlene was leading worship and there was a powerful sense of the Spirit of God present in the house. I just stood there with my hands over my face overwhelmed by the enormity of everything. I knew I couldn’t lead the service. I knew I couldn’t speak. I was totally wrung-out. So I just stood there.

Thank God for a wife who is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. In the middle of my “meltdown,” (for lack of a better term), Karlene went Old-school and started pulling songs out of the past. She started singing “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name.” I couldn’t even sing, but with a lump in my throat and heaviness in my heart, I contemplated the words to that old chorus. My eyes were closed in worshipful prayer or prayerful worship – I’m not quite sure what you would call it – and as we came to the final stanza of that song, something happened. A cool breeze blew across my person, as if someone had just walked in front of me. Surprised by the closeness of it, I opened my eyes to see who had come up to me, but nobody was there. At least nobody I could see with my natural eyes.

There is a scripture in Jeremiah (51:16) that says “When (God) utters his voice… he sends the wind from His storehouses.” I realized, right then and there, that God had sent his wind from his storehouses to me. That wind brought strength. That wind brought grace. That wind brought peace – and so much more. All of the things that I was running short on, God sent me from His vast supply in the heavens -- riding on a gentle breeze of the divine kind. I discovered once again last evening, how incredibly great God truly is. I discovered once again last evening, how true God’s word is. I discovered once again last evening, that there is no shortage in him.

Everything that we need can be found in Jesus. Last night, in my hour of need, I experienced it for myself -- a fresh breeze, God-sent, from heaven’s unlimited supply.

Thankfully, the wind is blowing again.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Again, another great word.

Bonnita said...

Would you be so kind as to give your mother my email address? She left a comment on my blog and for some reason I could not communicate back with her and leave her a message.

She asked me if I was the woman whom Michael took to meet her when I was in California from Canada. Yes I am..

Anyway, I would like to give her my condolences in person and if you would share my email address with her I would greatly appreciate it.

Many thanks
Bonnie

bonnita6@sympatico.ca

Anonymous said...

Tim,
You know of coarse that mine and Brenda's hearts are with you. The loss of your brother is sad and moving. Brenda said once that "There is nothing as shocking in life as the loss of it." How futile and silly this would all be if it were not all guided and held close by nail-scarred hands. My greatest hope and faith is that in that first moment in eternity all of this will make sense and THAT will be rest beyond description!

Anonymous said...

Pastor Tim'
sir, I would just like to thank you for being my role model I've been tryig to post a comment to your blog for a while now but i keep getting booted of. You and your family are our strong hold in our lives. Before we came to conerstone I was lost in the world of today and waiting for tomorrow. you said something that made me think of that, I've always known tomorrow is a gift of a new life. But you said that tomorrow is not promise to us, and I took it to the heart to know that God loves us so much that he GIVES us life daily. I'm sorry for your lost sir. God is good all the time, but since we are human our flesh takes over our spirits and fog us to see what good things God has giving us. Sometimes we are too busy to see with our own eyes. That all we need to do is close them, and put our hands to reach for his love. Thank you sir for guieding my family. OHANA