Guests arrived and I decided to get comfortable by mingling with my unknown friends. Taking a deep breath I readied myself for a night of expectancy and waiting on the Lord to do His work through me.
I soon spotted a middle-aged man clad in his outdoorsman getup, a gruff expression canvassing his sad face. I approached him with an unsure smile and found out his name was Daniel. Throughout the evening Daniel shared with me that he has received a message from God to preach to the world out of Isaiah 61. He said he has been persecuted and desires to kill or seek revenge against the people who persecuted him. Daniel knew a lot about Jesus; at least he tried to sound like he did. Anger raged within his cold heart as he used scripture to enforce his anger and declared an anointing by the Holy Spirit to speak five different languages. I was challenged to recall and joyfully present scripture in a light of truth against darkness.
Next I spoke with an older gentleman named Andre. Andre was very shy and kept to himself until he realized that I was a good listener. As soon as I asked him a question he was off running with story upon story about fishing and traveling. Andre seemed lonely, longing for someone to talk with, so I decided to invest some time in his life by listening. As he told me tale after tale about fishing, a thought came to my mind and I was reminded of the story in the Bible where Jesus tells His disciples to fish during broad daylight, and the boats were miraculously filled and overflowed. Andre assured me that he had caught more fish than Jesus and continued reliving the adventures of his fishing life.
God is always challenging me to seek Him more and to trust Him and His perfect will, so after two interesting encounters filling my night, God was not finished. Cory Doiron spoke a message about God chasing after you and desiring to find you and love you. A challenge was given to anyone who was hiding from God or hiding a part of their life from Him to come and lay it down, to come and let God find them so He could love them. People swarmed to the altar and I hung back waiting to see if the Lord intended me to go forward and pray for someone.
A young woman approached the front and instantly I found myself moving towards the front to pray for her. Amanda told me she was pregnant and very weak, so we prayed for strength. She looked at me with tears filling her eyes and said she wanted and needed to get right with God. I inquired if she wanted to make this the night and she replied with a heartfelt, burdened yes. I prayed with Amanda and she asked Jesus to make her new and invited Him into her life. We then prayed for the tiny life growing inside of her and for health, strength, and wisdom as her pregnancy wears on.
After praying with Amanda, we spent a time in worship and celebrating God’s faithfulness. As I glanced over, the look of joy on Amanda’s face shining from her heart, warmed me and was absolutely priceless. Every moment leading to the time I found myself kneeling beside a broken sister was worth waiting for. To see a life change before my very eyes and to be reminded of the newness Christ offers to those who call upon Him to take their lives and to love them moved my heart. God’s love brings such a resounding joy into the hearts He dwells in, there is simply nothing like watching God at work in the life of a fellow human being.
Every ounce of my energy and joy came from Christ in the instant Amanda said yes and a smile covered my face as I rejoiced in Yahweh who is all powerful. This moment was defining for me because it has been nearly a year since I have prayed beside someone entering the Kingdom of Heaven. It has been much too long, and yet still God loves me enough to use me as His vessel, to bless me in a situation that had absolutely nothing to do with me. As I made myself available to His service, God grabbed hold of my hand and promised to lead the way.
Through the spectrum of opportunities God allowed me to have during my evening at Harvest House, my eyes were opened to the truth that God always meets us at the point of our need. I was able to recognize in this trip that I can be bold for Christ by speaking words of life and by offering a listening ear to the unheard in the world.
My mind came to a realization that the Holy Spirit will not only sing through me in Chorale, and speak through me as I share my testimony on our outings, but that He has called me to share Him and the truth of God’s Word in all opportunities He gives. I do not need a microphone or a platform for God to show up and use me. I can simply be His child and rest in the knowledge that I am a daughter of the King, beloved, and called according to His purposes. I can trust God to prove faithful as I follow His leading in my life. I learned that it is probably safe to assume that evangelism is like a bunch of snowflakes, no two opportunities to share Christ are alike.
