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“’…Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” (Luke 7:49b-50 ESV)
We have lots of new families come to our church. We are quite informal in our services. Upon occasion they become ad hoc when we wait upon the Holy Spirit and ditch the sermon, when we sense God’s immanence. I suppose it is not to everyone’s taste but we welcome all who come through our doors.
Sadly, during Covid we have lost some previous members as we went online but now, post Covid19, the congregation is growing again mostly through new young families and people.
The mother of one of these new families to come first came to our intercessors meeting to spy out the land and see if this was the right place for her. She told me that she had been lead to our church via a prophetic picture of our vicar and one of the members of this intercessors meeting. She told me she was quite excited and pleased to find us!
As this lady intercedes for our church, town and world, she overflows, with passion and is unrestrained in praise. Even when she is texting the group it is plain to see her focus is on Jesus as her Saviour. Her earlier encounter with God as a child changed her life and apparently it was so radical it transformed her life relationship with Jesus as her Saviour. God had done something amazing to save her and I believe her because it shows.
Frankly her whole-hearted praise puts me to shame. God knows me and my heart, and I believe I know Him, but I do not express it with the same revelatory intimacy that cascades out of this lady as she prays. It is my understanding that as much as she was lead to us by revelation, as a safe place for her to come, I suspect Jesus also brought her to us as a demonstration of what true praise of Jesus can aspire to. He desires to evoke genuine praise from us now, even as it will be in heaven. It is a real challenge to my often half-hearted, self-serving myopia.
To be clear I consider she is not showing off because I see in it a natural expression of her love for Jesus after her encounter with Him. She knows what she can ask of Jesus in prayer because she experienced His influence first hand and likewise she praises and worships God wholeheartedly because her life was radically influenced.
Everyone can have a personal meeting with this same Jesus God of Love and Mercy who listens. We just have to meet Him in prayer.
Prayer: Jesus, I am humbled by Your Forbearance, Mercy and Grace. I rejoice in who You are, always worthy of our praise and adoration. Please forgive us when we forget the enormity of what You have done for us and restore in us a pure heart, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Roderick Marshall
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