Sometimes God transforms the most awkward situations into the most glorious ones.
Our ministry host invited us to attend a church service they hold every Saturday night. The awkward part– the congregation was all male. Walking in, I felt extremely uncomfortable and out of place. I felt cornered…trapped in the stares of about 100 Colombian men. I felt judged for being a white girl in a men’s service. I felt nervous and a bit panicked as I realized who these men were and what kinds of things they had done. The men attending the service were from our host’s programs, which help the homeless and those struggling with addictions. In truth, I felt unsafe even at church, and my senses were on high alert for about the first 20 minutes of the service. Rather than engaging in song — praising our God who made all these men and has always protected me — I kept a watchful eye on every man who either came too close to me or glanced my way. The men were becoming loud, getting swept away in clapping, dancing, and singing along with the praise band . . . and I grew even more uneasy. It’s in busy, crowded situations, where no one is paying attention, that young girls get carried away & caught up in trouble.
For a brief moment, I turned my eyes from the crowd to the screen on stage where the lyrics (in Spanish of course) to the worship song were displayed. In. that. instant. I KNEW that God had intended for me to be distracted from my surroundings and instead focus on why I was in that current situation. The song “No Longer Slaves” poured out across the room, wrapping the entire company in sound.
“We’ve been liberated
From our bondage
We’re the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom”
In that moment, God’s grace opened my eyes and allowed me to see clearly. His people. The men HE created. They weren’t seeking to hurt me. They weren’t providing a distraction to traffic me. They weren’t focusing on me like I was on them. They were praising God.
Unfiltered, emotional, raw, beautiful movements & echoing voices lifted in highest praise.
The men who had been enslaved to drugs, alcohol, & sin infestations were instead abandoning all their shackles to follow their salvation. Jesus broke their chains. He called them to Him and He called them His own. As I recognized that, my spirit grew from a place of turmoil to a place of overwhelming peace.
“You split the sea so I could walk right through it
You drowned my fears in perfect love
You rescued me and I will stand and sing
I am a child of God!”
Thank you Jesus for taking my fears in that awkward moment AND every moment of my life, and showing me the truth of where and who You are. All those men, and I, are no longer slaves to fear.
{Psalm 32:7}
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
{Isaiah 12:2}
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation.
{Romans 8:15}
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
