God speaks....LISTEN

Last Sunday I had the following question running through my mind: What is God doing?

Have you ever witnessed God working in someone's life? Have you witnessed it first hand? That is exactly what happened to me this past week and more specifically Sunday. Please allow me to share:
   

Before I do let me give you some advice, when God tells you to do something do it. 

I had a friend reach out to me recently and I begged God to guide me through this process and as time passed I knew He was using me to speak to her. Saturday night I asked her to attend church with me and she said no. I will admit I was a little hurt, because I was only asking for her good not mine. A little while later I asked again and again she said no. This time I was a little frustrated, because I knew God was wanting her to attend church with me. We continued to talk and before we finished our conversation I was completely overwhelmed with a sense of urgency. Instead of asking her to attend church with me, which I made very clear I just wanted her to visit she did not have to join I asked her to please watch our church service live on Facebook. I let her know that I felt like there was something she was supposed to get from our church service and she agreed to watch. I was relieved, curious and excited to see what God could possibly have in store for her. I woke up Sunday morning pumped and eager to get to church, I sang out in the choir and was shocked by the energy I had. It was as if something came over me, I believe it was the Holy Spirit, He knew the importance of this service and I could feel it. As I sang I prayed that my friend was really watching and that God would speak to her. The worship part of the service was over and I wasn't ready to sit down, I wanted to run a few laps around the church, but that would have received some unwanted attention so I forced myself to sit down. The first thing I did was make sure I sent her a link so she could watch. Her response- "I'm watching, I needed to hear Oceans", made me smile from ear to ear. This was only the beginning of a day full of God orchestrating a service full of purpose. As my Pastor began his sermon he let the congregation know that he felt led to change the direction of the sermon and start the series differently. My heart skipped a beat as he stated what the sermon was going to be about and I let out a cry but quickly gained control of my tears. I sat in awe of what God had done and prayed that my friend was still listening and would listen all the way to the end of the service. The service ended and she let me know just how much the song, Oceans touched her and the words spoken was what she needed to hear. Story over...NOT...ready for this....
 Later that afternoon at the worship teams CD listening party I shared with the group about pleading with my friend to watch the service. I told them that she did watch us "live" and how the song Oceans spoke to her as well as the sermon. I felt led to share so they would be encouraged to keep doing what they were doing, because God is moving at Central right now. What I didn't realize was God wanted me to hear the other side of the story. One of the lead singers spoke up and told her story of God putting a song on her heart for the service, the song...Oceans. She asked the music pastor a week before if we could sing the song that Sunday. Practice that morning for Oceans was rough, so after practice she prayed about it and just knew someone was supposed to hear that song and wanted to sing it without any problems. The song was perfect for the service and no one would have known there was an issue during practice. My mind was blown! As Nick and I drove home I sat quietly replaying the events of the day in my head. What was God doing?
God put it on my heart to have this friend listen to the service, but a week earlier He put a song on someone's heart and had my Pastor change his sermon all for this person. Let that sink in for a moment....God knew what this friend needed to hear and was working on her behalf long before I even knew I would have the conversation about her watching my church service. I am so thankful for those who listen to God's nudges and do what he tells them to do.
   The next time you feel God nudging you to do something, no matter how small the nudge, do it. Please do not hesitate because you never know what is really happening, what God is really trying to do with that nudge. It was mind boggling to see and hear the different pieces that God fit together to reach my friend. I in turn shared with her the story about Oceans, I so wanted her to see how much God loves her. The cool thing about this is he loves you that much too. He will do all that he can to help you, to reach you for you are greatly loved by the Father. What a mighty God we serve! Until next time, remember : “The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His instructions are trustworthy.” (Psalm 111:7)