May 23, 2008
Camp Homelani
I gathered with a group of young Christian men, who are called to some form of full-time ministry, in a comfortable lodging to conclude our guy's retreat.
The retreat had been a time of learning and resting with periods of acoustic led worship and white-board teachings from our Teaching Pastor Gary. With the room finally tidied and our bags packed we circled up for a closing prayer. The prayer was conducted "pop-corn" style, which is where individuals pray as they feel led, as we sat around on couches and love seats. I recall listening to the prayers being offered and hearing petitions like "God prepare us for the battle" and "Help us to watch each other's backs as we fight." As the prayers continued I began to think about the battle to which we are called and for what purpose we keep one another accountable and watch one another's backs, so to speak. I realized that many of us are simply fighting the battle of not sinning and that we keep one another accountable to keep from sin, which are necessary components but incomplete when compared to the holistic life Christ has called us to. Our main focus within the church has been to not sin and live rightly. With all of this swimming in my head I began to pray aloud asking God to give us a greater sense of the battle we are to fight outside of the walls of the church. The battle for the souls of men and for people that are marginalized and disinherited. I prayed that He would increase our conviction and compassion for the lost and that we wouldn't confine our battle to making sure one another is living without sin. While those words hung in the air I felt a strong desperation for God to bring them to fruition immediately and to experience His power for those who didn't know Him. It was in that very moment that He answered my prayer.
My eyes were still closed, as prayers continued, when suddenly in my mind I saw a man sitting on the beach not far from our site. For some reason I couldn't dismiss the image as my imagination and I knew God was showing me someone who was sitting on the beach at that very moment. I sensed within my heart that the person I saw would be at the beach if I were to go there. God then prompted me to go to him and speak to him.
I have never experienced such a prompting from God towards a complete stranger whom I didn't even know existed or not! I began a hesitant dialogue with God reasoning that we were in the middle of prayer and that the beach was a good jog away. My curiosity got the best of me though as I really wanted to see if the guy would be there or not so I stood up during the first pause and snuck out of the room.
I began to run towards the beach eager to see this guy and experience God's power. Excitement began to well up inside of me as I ran with hints of incredulousness as I reflected on just how crazy this was but also of how desperate I was to witness God do something. A little winded, I arrived at the beach and began to look around. I found him almost immediately, lying down on the beach with a straw hat covering his face. He seemed to be the same build and skin tone as the person I saw but I really didn't want to interrupt a guy napping so I scanned the beach for someone else. Finding no one else I circled around the sleeping guy hesitantly. I noticed a young woman who was swimming and staring at me, probably worried that I was going to rob him. My "reason" caught up with me in that moment and I felt a wave of doubt. I began to turn thinking that I'd just go back but I realized that there would be people wondering where I'd gone and I couldn't tell them I walked out on God! I also knew I was out there because of my desire to witness God do something and use me. I turned back around and stood over the man. Still doubtful of whether or not I should say anything I was startled to hear the words "excuse me" force themselves from my mouth. The man sat up squinting and looked around.
I immediately prefaced the situation by apologizing for myself and God's "interruption" by repeating that I wasn't crazy and that I never do this kind of thing, (I pray now that God would increase my faith and authority in carrying out His will). I explained that I wasn't a door-to-door evangelist but that I was praying in my room and I saw him sitting on the beach with a prompting from God to come meet him. He politely told me that was interesting and nodded as if he didn't really know what to make of the situation. At this point the woman swimming came up and joined us and I surmised that they were a couple of sorts. I explained the situation to her and she seemed a little more interested. She asked me where I was from and I told them that I lived in Hawaii and that I was home for Summer vacation but that I was currently going to school in LA. She told me that they were both from LA on vacation as well. I saw him smirk a little at this "coincidence" like a skeptic giving a magician props for one of the preliminary tricks. We talked a little about the weather back in LA and both of them seemed to be really nice people. I eventually asked him if there was anything I could pray for him for and he seemed to be pressed for any needs but he listed some general requests like work, health and family. I prayed for him there on the beach and wished them both a great vacation. I found out that their names were Jeff and Melody and they were both really cool people.
I began to walk back to the room processing all that had just happened. I knew that God doesn't always show people the fruits of the seeds they plant but that seeds are being planted nonetheless. As I continued down the bend Melody caught up with me and we began to talk about what had just happened. "It's really crazy that you came out here and did that," she said. "I know that's the first time that's happened to me," I replied. She explained that what was really crazy was that she came from a Christian background and had been trying to get him to be open to learning about God for some time. Jeff's brother had passed away recently and he was completely closed off to the idea of God because he felt God would not have let such a thing happen. Totally confirmed by the Spirit's moving I told her that I would continue to pray for Jeff and that God would use her to help him connect with God. As I walked away I began to pray for Jeff and Melody and it was one of the most genuine prayers I have ever prayed. The urgency was real and immediate and the words were birthed from a moving of the Holy Spirit. The whole situation made me feel alive inside and I knew that the simplicity of the whole thing was a glimpse of how life is meant to be lived. I didn't want those simple moments where God moves to be "interruptions" in my day but rather that my life reflect such a leading from God all the time. I want the times where I don't sense God to be the weird moments or interruptions to what God is doing. I am not open to the idea of God interrupting my life periodically because that denotes that life is mine to live and not God's to use.
The next day I was jogging through my neighborhood and I saw a young guy pulling into his driveway. I felt God say to go talk to Him but I dismissed it as me just being trigger happy. Later I wondered if God had really meant it that time and I concluded something heavy. I had previously smirked at the idea that God would have me talk to two people in a matter of days but then I caught of glimpse of God's desperation and heart for those who don't know Him. I think if I were really open God would have me talk to every person I passed on the street. God is desperately searching for people who will listen for His voice and obey His promptings and when He finds someone, then He has a vessel through which He can reach out to His lost children.
I want to continue to walk in the authority of the Holy Spirit within me and convey the love of God to everyone I meet. My dream is that others would heed the whisper of the Holy Spirit and that one day I would be led to tell someone of God's love for them and they would surrender because I had been the fifth person that week to tell them that.
