(The published questions are a little thin this chapter. Feel free to respond to anything additional that was stirred by the chapter.)
- What are some strengths you have that God may want to use? What are some examples of God using those strengths?
- In what ways do you long to see God's Kingdom come?
The funny thing about reading this chapter is I was reminded how much I love hearing stories about people being dramatically healed. Honestly, usually I start to tear up when I hear those stories. The frustrating thing though is how momentarily my increase in faith and expectation lasts. I will be filled with faith and excitement, but it quickly wains when I get in a situation to pray for someone.
ReplyDeleteThe hope and challenge I hang on to is that I don't just want to share others' stories but I want to have my own stories. But of course to have these stories where you get to see God do amazing things with people, takes risk.
I am one of those people Best talks about who wants to be "anointed" and never have to go through the process of risking. It seems too painful to have to fail and it outweighs the possibility of allowing God to do something through me. So while I really desire the gifts, my desire to give up control or sacrifice doesn't match.
Risk is hard. No question about that. But allowing that fear to control my action has really limited what I allow God to do in and around me.
I'm going to share a couple of lines that really struck me while I was reading.
ReplyDelete"God loves us too much to let us be in control. That is why he has designed a process that is centered in weakness and requires total dependence on him - not simply until we have learned how to do it, but always." pg 62
"If God has spoken and we are willing to give what we have, even our smallest act of obedience could be the raw material for a miracle." pg 76
With both of these quotes I shared, I find myself wondering if I really know the voice of God? How many times have I missed it? The big thing for me is, do I really hear the voice of God? Does it change?
But then I remember that there have been real moments of blessing for others when I go to pray for them. And I had no real clue what was going on. But it was that risking, that leaning on God's truth instead of my own that really struck me. But how quickly I forget those times.
I'm not a risk-taker by nature. I like to have things organized and planned for, etc. Be prepared for anything. But just remembering that God doesn't need all the prep work and organization to be complete in order to do something miraculous is a wonderful reminder. God still moves amongst all the craziness and commotion.
I hope that I get to share healing stories someday.
I find that I am very much like he saw hiimself in the day dream. I feel so nervous when I stand on the edge of the diving platform, but never leave the edge because fear grips me. I hear God saying he will fill the pool, but it never really seems to happen. I feel so often that when I have prayed for people, I don't see healing, and it all blows over. It is as if the diving board was only a few feet off the ground and I jumped feet first. In that, I guess I try out of my own power. I am just confused at why, even when I really feel like I am trying to pray for people in God's way, that they don't seem to get healed. I guess I need to change my expectation that they will be healed immediately.
ReplyDeleteI also feel like you both, I hope to have my own stories some day about healing. Things like Sarah beinig healed and then healing the blind man. I truly want that, I want to hear God voice, act on it, and see his show up. One day I guess.
I think the two concepts that came to me in this chapter were:
ReplyDelete1. I think I'm afraid of being "anointed" because I'm afraid it will me turn into someone weird, like one of those cracked up televangelists from TBN. That's what I think it means to have "the anointing", and if that's true, then count me out. Luckily it doesn't happen that way. The one theme that was constant through this chapter was of being open to hearing from God and then responding to what He's doing. One of the stories involved a girl praying for someone for healing. It turns that God DID heal the man powerfully, but the girl never even knew it! All she was doing was being obedient to what God wanted her to do, which is to pray for him and have faith that God will perform a miracle. I think a former pastor of mine summed up this idea best: "All we are is piping".
2. The idea of the participation in miracles vs. the Sovereignty of God. Not to open up any long-debated theological cans or worms, but it's an idea I struggle. If God is sovereign, and has the ability to perform miracles on his own, then why do we need to participate, and why does he need to work through us? I think the simple answer is He doesn't need us to "help him". God's miracles do not depend on our faith or our own personal "holiness". I think the point is that we are chosen be God to be used by him, and somehow during that process we come away different. We've learned something, we've been somehow blessed, we've somehow had our faith and trust in God strengthened be God WANTING to use us. Yes, God can perform miracles in private, but then we would miss out on one of the greatest parts of the Christian life, the opportunity to be used to bless others.
I highlighted the same passage that struck Melanie: "God loves us too much to let us be in control". Control is a facade.
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