I glanced at the printed Order of Service and the
Friendship Choir would be presenting the music. I looked at the choir area and
there were only a few people seated there. I noticed one in particular-an
elderly lady. As we rose for a congregational hymn, the lady struggled to stand,
but she made it. The sweet little old lady I’d noticed was part of the duet
that followed the hymn. Once again, she struggled to get up. An older gentleman
rose at the same time and walked over to her, escorting her to the microphone. They
began to sing “There will be peace in the valley.” Oh my, that feeble lady had the most beautiful
and strong voice. I felt the sweetest spirit come over me as they sang. Their
voices blended and all I could think was this must be what angels sound like. I
was so deeply moved that tears began to roll down my cheeks and I felt the Holy
Spirit fill that sanctuary. I thought to myself, these two saints are such genuine
examples of faithful servants of God.
I was blessed by the two ministers that spoke that
day. The first one, also an elderly man, spoke on “The Journey” from Deuteronomy
34:1-12. You’ll find this familiar since it was part of our last year’s study. He
began by reading Deuteronomy 34:1-4
“Then
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah,
which was opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far
as Dan, and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of
Judah as far as the western Sea, the Negeb and the Plain, that is the Valley of
Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.”
The minister spoke of Moses and how he stood on the
mountain top with God and God personally showed him a wonderful sight - The
Promised Land. I was so moved. I could not imagine standing on a mountain top
with God, our creator, and have Him personally show me where I had faithfully
and obediently served Him and brought His people. What joy Moses must have
felt. He didn’t enter the Promise Land but what he did get was wonderful face
to face encounters with God. Moses stood with the Lord who personally showed
him a panoramic view of Canaan. The minister’s point was that it wasn’t so much
about Moses’ destination. It was about Moses’ journey with God. Moses had an
extremely personal relationship with the Lord that continued to grow throughout
the journey. We too can have a personal relationship with the Lord because of
Jesus Christ and it will grow stronger in our journey with the Lord.
Then another pastor slowly but surely made his way to
the podium and began to speak. It was clear to me as I watched his movements, that
he had a serious health condition. This servant of God had had cerebral palsy
all his life. But in spite of his poor health I recognized as he spoke that God
had gifted him with an incredible ability to preach the Gospel. God equipped.
Moses faced uncertainty and difficulty throughout his
journey but God equipped him with everything he needed. Moses was hesitant and
faltered at times but he answered God’s call and He faithfully served Him.
God called those faithful servants that participated
in that service and He equipped them to serve Him. God always equips us to do
what He calls us to do. There have been times I’ve been hesitant and I faltered
but God has always been there for me when I accepted His call to service and He
equipped me to do His will. It has been in the journey that I recognized God’s
hand at work in my life. It was in the journey that I grew to know and love Him
more.
God called each of us and we answered yes to the call
to serve in CBS this year. Little did we know that it would be in such a new
and different way packed full of so much uncertainty. But just as God equipped
the feeble elderly lady with the strong, beautiful voice and the minister with
cerebral palsy the amazing ability to preach the gospel, God will equip us to
faithfully serve Him in this year of uncertainty with a technology that is so
unfamiliar to many of us. He will continue to replace any fear or uneasiness that
some of us might have with confidence and trust in Him. We can fully rely on
God to guide us and He will provide us with all that we need to make disciples
of the Lord Jesus Christ this really different year.
We are not standing on a mountain top with God
showing us a panoramic view of the Promised Land, but we do have His Holy
Spirit living in us and His Holy Word that is filled with His promises. Hebrews
13:20-21 tells us
“The God of peace who brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, will equip us with everything so that we may do his
will.”
Brenda Winker
Prayer Chair
Rutherfordton Day Class
09-09-2020
