Month: September 2018

It was just another Wednesday Night Dinner and Bible Study for the LIVE180 group. In the summer these are hot and sweaty experiences that I only attend because I am so curious to see what God will do. This particular night, I got an extra dose of God moving in mysterious ways. One of the men (who we thought was dead, because the last time we saw him he looked so bad and he had been gone for over two months) showed-up. He still didn’t look all that great. In fact, he was overly emaciated, with big eyes, a weak smile, and an IV port attached to his arm with a hospital wristband dangling from his wrist, but he was alive.
In a raspy voice he says, “Oh my – I’m so glad to see you. I had a dream about you that I just have to tell you. I checked myself out of the hospital, so I could make it here tonight.”
First, I gingerly hugged him and said how happy I was to see him alive.
Then he proceeded to slowly and painstakingly tell me this amazing dream amidst deep breaths and groans of pain:
We were in Rome – not at the Vatican but in a large conference size place. There were thousands of people there. There was singing and speakers. It seemed like, Billy Graham was there.
Then one of the speakers said, “We need to pray for people. There are a lot of people that need healing, emotionally and physically.” At that point that man turns to you and calls you out. He wanted you to come up front so he could pray for you.
You asked, “Why me?”
He said, “These people need help and God wants to use you. He wants to anoint you for that purpose. You are going to pray for them – the women – and they are going to be healed and set free.”
MIND BLOWN – About 25 years ago I had a similar vision – only God could repeat something that amazing.
Then he proceeded, looking me in the eye and saying, “You need to know you are gifted. It doesn’t matter that people think you are intimidating. It doesn’t matter that you are quiet and that people don’t understand you. You are gifted and God uses you. I’ve known that from the first day I met you.”
MIND BLOWN again – He was using words that have played over and over in my head for years. Here I was sitting with a guy who is physically and emotionally a mess and God was using him to touch my heart and remind me how much I am loved.
God is no respecter of persons – He uses the willing, even when they don’t look very able. This man is back in the hospital – I don’t know the number of his days, but I am thankful for that night, and for his conviction that he needed to talk to me. I went to dinner and Bible study with the idea that I was going to be a blessing to someone – and instead, I was the one who got blessed. It reminded me not to be proud, to walk in humility, and always keep my eyes and ears open for what God is doing, because you just never know when and how He will move.

I am rereading Psalms, again. I love King David and how he talks about his enemies – the people around him that are waiting to harm him. Then King David turns everything around and starts rejoicing that God is good and that is the reason to tell everyone about Him.
There have been several instances in my working career when I’ve felt like my enemies were working right next to me. It is difficult to get past the feelings of hurt and betrayal and to remind myself they are human too and need love. At those moments, I would love to toss out the parts of the Bible where I’m encouraged to love my enemies, bless them, do good to them, and pray for them. However, I have experimented with these comments in the Bible to amazing results.
I determined to pray blessings on the people who I felt have hurt me in some way. I won’t say that it was easy to start, but it becomes easier and easier as time passes. God softens my heart and reduces the effect of the supposed offense in my life. It is amazing.
In a few instances, I have even had moments of real reconciliation with these people. For example: I had a person come to me recently who fell in this category of offenders and ask to get together for a chat. Full of angst, I agreed to the meeting, wondering what would happen. To my utter amazement God brought peace and hope to the relationship. We ended up sitting for several hours talking and laughing. Instead of being awkward, we were both set at ease and it became a time of catching up with an old friend – totally fun!
I feel like King David – God did rescue both of us and I want to tell everyone how great He is! I know that some relationships will never be fully reconciled because it is unsafe or unhealthy for me to engage with them face to face. However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t rejoice in how God changes my perception, granting me peace and joy. This gives me the strength to pray that God will bless them with His love and mercy.
Although my story may sound like it was fixed quickly for me, this was almost three years in the making. In other words, persevere…allowing God to do the work He needs to do in your heart and the other person’s heart. Allow Him to set the pace.
Is there anyone you are feeling hurt or offended by? Experiment with doing what the Bible asks us to do – love them, do good, bless them, and pray for them – and see what happens.