At the college that I attended, it was a Christian college, they had wonderful opportunities to go to chapel during the day, and they also offered on Wednesdays a full hour of just worship music in a beautiful chapel that they have on campus. Wednesdays were the highlight of my week it was a day where I knew that no matter what had happened that week I could go that night and just fall on my knees before the Lord.
On one particular Wednesday I had a few friends come because they wanted to see what this worship program was like. I was so excited because I knew that God had been doing something in my friends hearts recently and I really just wanted them to just be able to enjoy what I longed for every single Wednesday. We found our seats, and unfortunately as we were sitting down they announced to us that the projectors that display the words for us to sing along weren’t working. The band up front did the best they could to lead the songs without the words but it was useless, only a few knew all of the words to the songs chosen that night. They then announced to us that while they worked on fixing the projectors they wanted us to take that time to pray, And to not only pray alone, but with the people around us. At first it was quiet but it wasn’t long before you started to hear a hush of people praying, and spilling their hearts to the Lord together. They eventually came back to the front because they thought that they had fixed the projector, but unfortunately as we began to sing again, there remained a blank screen up on the ceiling.
They then told us to get back in our groups that we had prayed with, and confess whatever God was laying on our hearts to confess and if we wanted to do that alone then that was okay too. I had prayed with my roommate that had also tagged along, and was hesitant to tell her just exactly what I needed to confess. My roommate and I get along just fine but we never really got on a very deep level when it came to talking about personal issues. I sat there debating for a couple of minutes on whether I should tell her, when all of a sudden she spilled everything that she was going through to me. When she was done I then told her everything, and after we prayed together. That was the first of many talks to come between my roommate and I. I had so much joy after we got done praying because I knew that she trusted me and that we finally had clicked and became more than just roommates. The band eventually made their way to the front to announce that the hour was over, when A guy a couple years older than I walked up to the front of the chapel and told us that God was really telling him that he needed to share a few words with us. He then continued to tell us that, what we did tonight, praying with our brothers and sisters in Christ was worship, and that you don’t need music to worship God. He ended by making a very blunt statement that shocked a lot of people. I can’t remember the exact words but he basically said that whoever doesn’t see that what happened that night wasn’t worship has problems.
I stood there slightly horrified by what he had said. Did he really just say that so bluntly? I thought about what my friends that I brought must be thinking. I knew that they did not agree with what he had said. I was right about what my friends were thinking. They were very frustrated and thought that he had no right to get up there and say that.
That night I lay in bed and thought a lot about what that guy had said. And what I realized that night is he’s so very right. I began to think about Tim Tebow and how he is being so persecuted for his faith, just because he’s a Christian. If he would have been any other religion other than Christian no one would even care that he was presenting his faith in every aspect of his life, including the sport that he loves. I then began to think about how that’s a struggle all Christians have to face, because we are different. The reason that I think that what that guy said was okay, is because it’s about time someone didn’t think twice about hurting someone else’s feelings and said the truth. Everything he said was true and he did what many people won’t do, which is standing up and saying what we believe. We worry so much as Christians about putting our faith out there and risking being persecuted for it. A lot of us are just like Peter, we say that we will stand for Christ and what we know to be true, but when we are actually placed in situations, we back off and try to please people, because who doesn’t want to be liked and excepted? In John 15:18-19 it says “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” We were chosen by Christ and he loves us with an everlasting love, something that is so much stronger than any kind of love from any human being on this earth. I will admit the guy who said all of this could have chosen better words to say it, but I’m so very glad that God used him to reveal that to me that Wednesday night.
God has such a big plan for all of our lives, it’s up to us to take the gifts and opportunities that he has presented us with and use them. It’s so very easy to stay where you’re comfortable, where you feel safe and you don’t feel like you need to be stretch, but let me assure you, a life of giving all you have even the most difficult circumstances to Christ, is such a rewarding and overall wonderful life, where you feel peace through God’s faithfulness to you and richness through the love and lives that God places on your path during your journey.
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 5:14-16
“you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see…”
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