His Strength

It is another funeral season for TOP and I was scheduled to share at the funeral wake service last night. Throughout the day my throat was scratchy and my eyes were sandy. It felt as though I was coming down with a bug but when I went for the service everything just cleared up like the mist disappearing when the sun rises.

This is not the first time I've experienced such miracles from the Lord. There have been times when I was coughing and God just stopped the cough when I had to worship lead. In fact I sang better than normal. No kidding.

Once, when I was leading the Eagles (Young Adult) cell, I went for the meeting with a terrible headache. It was the type that makes you nauseous and, for me, the only way to relieve it is to puke but I have never been able to bring myself to push my finger down my throat to induce anti-peristalsis so I prolonged the suffering.

I was ready to chop off my head and transplant it with a cabbage but duty called. I had no choice because I was sent to resuscitate the cell and I had not yet raised up a cell assistant. I just had to show up.

As usual we started with the ice-breaker and I was still feeling awful. Then came the worship and God performed a miracle.

I had asked God to help me through the meeting and not let me puke halfway through but as we worshiped, my headache began to clear and by the time the session was handed to me I had completely recovered. It was really that phenomenal.

Through countless similar encounters I have learned that we always minister out of our weakness "for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:10). That is not an excuse for inadequate preparation or slipshod work but God is faithful to to show Himself strong and empower us when we come to Him in humility to exchange our weakness for His strength. If not, the glory would be ours and not His.