Friday, February 18, 2011

The journey is too much for you

I've been feeling fried - overwhelmed, taking on too many people's stuff, exhausted; each day taking longer than the last to get momentum, passion, or energy. And I added to my schedule taking on several speaking engagements and a conference this month.

I go semi-regularly to the Bellingham healing prayer rooms because I need to receive prayer from places in addition to our ministry at Tierra Nueva. Last week I came in and found that someone had crafted a six foot cross and mounted it on the wall in the hallway of the prayer rooms and backlit it with rope lights. I placed my hand on the cross and it felt good. There was a physical sense of peace and rest - so I stayed there a while and eventually knelt.

As I was kneeling I found myself thinking about angels. What came to my mind was a picture of me kneeling and an angel draping a cloth over me, and another angel putting something on my lips.

When I got up to go into the waiting room, a woman approached me and said that there were angels in front of the cross and I had been kneeling in one. I stayed in the waiting room for a while and realized that the cross was a better place to wait so I went and sat at the foot. By the time I went in to receive prayer, I felt light and great.

I taught last weekend at a retreat near Mt. Rainier. These are often exhilarating and exhausting weekends, but this time I felt energized when I left. My time in the prayer room brought about a complete turn around for me.

Sometimes we can have experiences and not know what they mean or do or what to do with them. But this work of God has so clearly refreshed me, there is no other explanation for it.

I am reminded of a story from the Old Testament when the prophet Elijah is threatened by the queen Jezebel, he runs for his life and is ready to quit, even to the point of asking God to end his life. He lays down in an exhausted sleep and when he wakes there is an angel baking bread and offering him a jar of water. The angel says, "Arise and eat, for the journey is too much for you," and on the strength of the bread and water Elijah travels for 40 days.

Yeah, that's what was going on. Thank You God.

1 comment:

The Voice -- Dan Johnson said...

Just wanted you to know that someone in the world is reading your words. Blessings to you!!