September 23, 2012
24 Hour “Burn”
Wow. What an incredible experience. Our team, Raging Waters, and team Found and Free just had a 24 hour “Burn” and it was incredible. We set aside 24 hours for prayer and worship and some of us fasted as well. I had never done anything like this before, so I had no idea what to expect. We decided the day of that we would start at 6pm Friday night and go straight until 6pm Saturday night. If you know me you know I love and need my sleep, so going into this I was nervous about even attempting to stay up all night.
We started the time with open prayer and I immediately started praying in the Spirit out loud but in a whisper for an hour and a half. I’ve prayed in the Spirit many times now, so it wasn’t a surprise, but it was so incredible being surrounded by my brothers and sisters where I could pray openly and freely for as long and as hard as I wanted. I could feel God’s presence so powerfully from the very beginning and I felt so fulfilled and complete sitting with my Father in Heaven. It felt like I was doing what I was made for, and I believe that I was. I truly got a taste of Heaven.
And it didn’t stop there. We moved into a time of musical worship. Some of us stood up and began gathering in front of the instruments. GaNene loves a good beat, so she went over to the djembe to play for a minute. When she got up, I just started walking over there and sat down in front of the drum. I’ve had a desire to play drums for a couple of years now, and even considered getting lessons because I thought it would be so fun. But tonight, God led me to just sit in front of one and start playing. Normally I would be so nervous of what people would think, but I was in God’s presence and felt led to do it, so I started playing away.
I have absolutely no technique and don’t how to make different sounds on this thing, but I can at least hold a beat. And my teammates said I actually didn't sound horrible. Now I’m praying God will teach me more of how to play because it was so incredibly fun.
After that, we moved into a quieter prayer and worship time, and God put Psalm 139 on my heart. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about God’s love for me, but I hadn’t read this Psalm recently. It is one of my favorites though, and I had posted it up in my shower last year and memorized it. I felt like God was leading me to share it by reciting it to the group. I was so nervous, but I’ve been telling God that I will say “yes” to him no matter what He asks, so this should be an easy yes, right? Who cares if I mess it up? Well, I sort of do. I had to recite it to myself about 5 times before I had the courage to go for it. The song ended and I just started speaking out this beautiful psalm to the whole room. A couple of tears formed as I spoke aloud such a beautiful poem on the depths of God’s love for us.
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in–behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
when I awake, I am still with you.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
I hope that psalm spoke to others there, and I know it was a powerful moment for me – hearing from God and then saying yes to what he asks of me.
I know that playing the djembe and reciting a psalm are small things. But I also know they are just the beginning of God asking me to step out of my comfort zone and obey Him.
He has amazing and wonderful plans for our lives, if we will just listen for Him.
And when He speaks, say “yes”
When you have the opportunity to be in God’s presence with other radical believers for an extended period of time – go for it. You won’t come out the same.
