My prayer for Encounter
Do you ever wonder what a guy thinks about as he's facing down his 20th fall retreat (I've missed 2 in my 22 years as a believer as of Oct. 18)? One might think that after climbing the mountain just so many times you would get bored of the same old scenery.
Well, for me, that's never happened. Why? Because my eyes are not set on the event itself, but on the main attraction of the event... oh, the speaker; they change every year. Um, no. One up from that. It's the confident expectation that God will speak.
At every retreat or conference I've ever been to, I go looking and anticipation that God will speak to me and to those I care about. And I can not recall ever being disappointed.
Encounter isn't happening because "it's scheduled" or "it's what Christian groups do" or "Christians really grow a lot at these things and so it saves the leaders a lot of work". No, it's happening because when we set aside some time, even if it's just for a weekend, to sit at the feet of Jesus He is pleased with our choice and will teach us things that we need to know (Luke 10:38-42).
This morning God gave me a passage to believe Him for regarding this weekend both for myself and for all of you.
Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people,
come to my aid when you save them,
that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may share in the joy of your nation
and join your inheritance in giving praise.
Psalm 106: 4,5
This is my prayer. Come and sit at Jesus' feet with me.
Comments
I agree, too. This weekend was amazing, and I often don't say that about retreats. You have no idea how great it was for me to leave everything behind (media, newspapers, the job, regular ministry) and just sit and listen to Jesus for a couple of days. Combined with Bill's teachings and quite possibly the most awesome quiet time that I've ever had, this quite possibly was a life-changing weekend. Thanks for being a part of it, Tim, and I'm really looking forward to Faithwalkers this December!
Posted by: Rob at October 2, 2006 11:11 AMOne of my long time prayers came to fruition this weekend, Tim. I've been praying two things for the past 6 years; one that I'd be able to pray with someone to receive Christ, and two, that I would be able to take part in baptizing another believer.
It's funny how I pray these prayers and make these requests to God that He might use me. But, the truth is that God really only revealed Himself to me through being a part of Alisa being baptized. It was that God wanted me to have this front row seat to watch what He alone was doing.
Posted by: Angie at October 3, 2006 03:15 AM