We (Love89) took a road trip with staff and listeners yesterday to Atlanta for a Braves game and a concert with Steven Curtis Chapman... which would have been great all in itself. But God decided to bless me, us, with a show of His power that had I not anticipated.
The game was a hot and humid one for sure, and I should have realized that might mean a late afternoon early evening pop up shower. But I was genuinely surprised when I saw the dark clouds over the Northwest rim of the stadium appearing. And then not until I saw the lightening and felt the cool blast of air did it dawn on me that He was there. It's funny how you go through your day to day activities and think that He shows up. Hmmm. Totally forgetting that He is always there - everywhere - in everything.
The wind picked up and trash left over in the stands from all the hotdogs, nachos, and cokes began blowing around. My heart quickened - listening. Was this important?They announced that we would retreat under the canopies until it blew over.
And when a huge blast of lightening appeared to be a close as the parking lot, retreat we did!
As we stood chatting together with a young couple of our listeners celebrating their one year anniversary of dating I began to think, feel Him. I suppose I may have seemed at some point disengaged from the conversation for a moment but I begin thinking... He's here, He's here... and we're here... and He's up to something.
As the rain poured down we waited. The lightening flashed, the thunder clapped. He was speaking. "See Me, He was saying, See Me - then worship Me".
When it slowed to almost a complete stop we begin filling the seats again. Then they said it was too wet for anything but an acoustic show with Steven - no band.
Ahhhh, there it is. God desired it to be more intimate, quieter. The sky turned into a beautiful orange and gray mix that was breathtaking. Then it truly sank in, the power He had just displayed with that summer storm was the real beginning of the worship last night! He spoke then, in that way in the storm, because we first needed to see Him, hear Him, feel Him before we begin to worship.
He displayed Himself so that when that unplanned (by man anyway) intimate time with Steven happened it was a truer intimate time with my Father. So that when His whispers in my heart and mind began, they were part of a conversation we were already having even if I didn't realize it!
I had wondered earlier in the day why the trip itself was quieter than I had anticipated. The staff was more low key than usual. The winners and their guests were quieter that I had anticipated.
My mood was not bad in anyway yesterday at all - but I had questioned myself as to why I felt like I was waiting for something, and why was I so quiet but with no feeling like I needed to be otherwise?
I sit here on the Sunday morning after. I did not go to church today. When I woke up this morning I thought to myself, that as crazy as it sounded to me, that I needed to stay home... why? We are called to gather together in corporate fellowship, to be fed, and to simply worship. But also I know that as Steven sang last night - God is God - and when He speaks I am to listen. I don't always you know. Not nearly always.
But I am grateful that I did today. He wanted me alone with Him. I loved my time with Him last night.
In the storm, in listening to Steven Curtis Chapman, and even when He spoke to me afterwards on the bus ride home through the dvd we watched - The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe... I still see and hear things in that movie that are new every time I watch it! Isn't if awesome how it was Lucy and Susan (the women) that were the last with Aslan when he had died? The first to see Him when he returned? Just like the precious account of our Savior - incredible!
I have loved my time with my Father this morning.
He has blessed me, talked with me through His Word and more.
"Yes, as the rain and snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do"(Is 55:10-11).
His rain did not return void in me, His Word did not, now I have shared what He has given me and it will not return void because it is from His mouth to my heart. I hope your heart is blessed today.
He's already here, just see Him.
p.s.
When I had wrapped up my time with God this morning I went to search for something on the Internet. My initial browser search listed this item first. Please take a look at what God did after a storm 4 years ago and led me to today through this link
