This is going to be short. God moves. Not always in mega-churches or in crusades, but in quiet shops in Chiapas Mexico and a makeshift tent camp. I love that God does not need to shout. He does not need to show the world that He is magnificent- He is whether they acknowledge it or not and He is not proving Himself. Don´t get me wrong, the evidence of God and His majesty are everywhere from the mighty Niagra Falls to the basic sunset to a lingering kiss to the cross soaked with blood, but He never forces. God is not a rapist- He is a lover. He desires intimacy and shares so deeply with His bride, the church. And I think it is in those tender moments that I love God the most, when He is quiet and comforting. When the brokenness of this world screams at the top of its lungs, ¨Look at me and what I have done!¨ God whispers quietly too- ¨I am here too. I have not forgotten.¨ So that is the backdrop of this last week, a week filled with His glory and His correction.
On Tuesday, I wrote about how nobody barely showed up for a Bible study that we were having in a new house church, so on Thursday we had another but decided we were trying too much on our own merits.
So we painted on the prayer, walking beforehand up and down the streets singing and praying, speaking truth throughout that neighborhood and then waited. We held our breath as we stationed three prayer warriors along the street and began. As Noe played some songs people walking by were drawn in, intrigued by the passion and skill in his voice. A young man walking by caught my attention and I look at him and simply said ¨Ven!¨ which means come. He looked surprised and then followed me into the yard. I sang with him and glorified Jesus for several songs and then turned around. The yard was filled with people! Mallorie taught about the weapons of the devil and how they were powerless without our consent. It was amazing and everybody in the place ended up giving their lives to Christ and or renewing their desire to serve Him! To be able to speak words of truth over a new brother and pray for him is an amazing and transforming situation. Afterwards we went back to the church where we were staying and praised the Lord in such a fresh and revived spirit. It was simply beautiful.
Then on Friday night and Saturday morning, we were allowed to put on a skit in the main plaza for all the people there.
It is quite the busy place and Noe sang some songs to draw in the passerbys before the skits started. On Saturday I was priviliged to play Jesus, Chad playing the part the evening before, and each time it was performed you could literally see the change come over some as they watched. After the skit, Noe spoke words of truth with boldness and then invited those who wanted to change their lives. Over 13 people either renewed their commitment to Christ and or gave Him complete control for the first time. Wow! Beauty for the broken. I started this blog with an emphasis on quietness because two children came on Saturday to give their lives to Him who adores children so much. And both were deaf and mute.
What is that like? No sound at all and limited expression of what they are thinking or feeling. They were broken, not in the sense that they needed to be fixed but that they needed to be revived. God had allowed their muteness and deafness but He never forgot them, He never erased their names from His palms. So He sent us out to act out His love for them. A love letter in motion and in silence they heard their names and responded. What an amazing God!
1 Kings 19:11-13 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.” A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake;
and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there.
