As I went up to the front of the
church the size of a storage container, I had this peace come over me like
never before. I’m always nervous right
before I begin preaching here on the race. I always get scared and start doubting whether
what I’m going to say is from the Lord or just my own words. But this Sunday
was different; there was nervousness but no fear. As I walked to the front, I was overcome with
a sense of peace; this sense of calm I can’t explain except to say it was from
the Lord. I got up to the front, opened my Bible, looked down at my notes, and
felt the presence of God come upon me like a wave crashing against a rock. It
was a feeling I want so much more. I want it constantly. I want it every second
of every day.
That’s not where the feeling ended,
though. I honestly can’t say that if I
ever preached on that subject again it would be the same. But that’s not a bad thing. As a matter of
fact, it makes that moment so much more special because I know that it was not
me. I didn’t preach. I didn’t get up there and say words that Jake created. They were Gods words; Gods sermon. It was God
working through me.
When the sermon ended it felt as
though I didn’t even know what happened. I have always been so skeptical when
people talk about how they had an out of body experience; when they left their
body, Christ came in and took total control of them. In that moment, they just
watched as Christ spoke, or worked through them. That is exactly what I went
through. Last Sunday, May 22nd,
God came in me in a way I can’t explain. He spoke through me and brought words
out I could not have said. He put points together I would never be able to
connect. God came through, and I was His vessel for His Glory. I feel honored beyond belief that He would
choose to work through me in such a powerful way.
After I preached, Ashley Auman (a
girl on my team) came to me and said, “I want to say that you did an awesome
job but it wasn’t you up there. It was
the Lord.” I thought, “Why was I a true
vessel on that day? Did I do
something different, than every other time I preached? Why haven’t I felt that every time I’m doing
something for the Lord? Why do we as Christians get so excited when we
experience God like that? Why do they
come in moments? Why is it not every
time? Why don’t we always feel like
this?” I can’t speak for everyone, but as honored as I feel, and as special as
a moment as that was, I hate it was only a single moment. I hate it was the first time I have felt God use me like
that.
I thought and thought about what
was different. I prayed right before but I always do that. But then it hit me: it
was what I asked God for which was different. I always ask for the Lord to speak through me
and He has every time I have preached, but He did so much more. I asked God to reveal Himself to the people in
the church that day. I asked that Sunday, May 22nd, would be a day
God would bring Himself down and fill that church. He would show up in whatever
way He wanted to and if only one person saw Him in that Church, it would be
enough. I asked God to come down and fill me up with Him until I overflowed. I
asked that I would not the one preaching
but it would be Christ inside of me; that my words I spoke were nothing; they wouldn’t fall on deaf ears, but His
words would hit the Heart.
God, I pray right now for all
those who read this blog that they will come to know you and experience you in
the way I did. I pray every time they hear your call to go out and do something
in your Name, that You would use them as vessels. If you ask them to preach
that Your words would come through. If you’re asking them to build a house or
clean up a field, that when people gaze upon the person working they don’t see
us, your servants, but they only see You. God, come fill us up to a point that
we overflow. Lord, all of us are evil and You are the only good in our lives.
Lord, break us to the point where we are nothing; break our pride and our
stubbornness. Lord, shatter us, come in and build us up to be Your people, Your
children, Your vessels. Let us always
feel the way I did on that Sunday every time we go out and follow Your calling.
Let us always be able to say “it wasn’t me today. It was all Christ through me.
I couldn’t do that again if I tried because God was the One who did it.” Lord,
you are supreme, You are holy. Lord, let us live only to bring you glory.
In your Sons Powerful and
Precious Name, Amen.
