Respond? or React? That is the question!

Lately I've been thinking about what moves God, and what removes evil. Important to note, that I have been under the teaching influence of some truly extraordinary men of God, My senior pastor Randy E. Dean, Bill Johnson, Kris Volloton, and Rob Bell to name a few. It is really hard to avoid a truth when it is put so clearly through genuine men of faith such as these.

So on the the subject at hand. What moves God? and what removes evil? You see this question isn't exactly a new one in the landscape of our human history, it is just one that has become of heightened awareness to me. You see, it all began again for me when my sweet little daughter Eden had a cold and was fighting a nasty cough, and fever. I as any good father would do began to pray as often my wife and myself do for sickness to leave and for healing to enter. Here's the thing, the catch, the real motivator for me. It was to be her very first night of gymnastics and she was totally excited! I mean absolutely amped about being able to be part of a real gymnastics class. My wife and I were really struggling about having to tell her that she would not be able to attend this very important event (important especially to our 2 year old daughter). We truly were lamenting the notion of having to tell her no, that we are sorry, and this wouldn't be a good idea. And it was then that I prayed again and again, expecting that I would see a remarkable change, you know the miraculous. You need to understand that I have truly experience the miraculous so I didn't feel like this was such a huge request. Isn't this so typical to how we think God should work? We pray he responds. Anyway when I didn't see any visible change, my prayer shifted gears, and I got more and more angry at the works of the evil one, so I thought that it might work to cast him out! You know the very christian, spiritual thing to do. When that didn't work, I turned to my wife and said "What is it going to take?", implying that there was something more that I could do, that I must do, so as not to break my daughters heart. I regret to inform you that she wasn't radically healed, at least that night, however my thoughts and focus on how to pray was.

The very next morning I received the realization, the "What it would take" that I needed via a pod-cast that I was listening to. It became so painfully clear that I had been praying at God not with God. You see I had not been focusing all of my attention on God, I was focusing on the sickness, on my daughters first gymnastics class, on my role as her father, and when I got really frustrated on the devil. My focus was what may have been keeping true healing away from my little girl. Now I know that God is not so stingy as to withhold healing for a formula, or a set system of prayer. But I do think we do give more attention to problem than we do the solution. It is as though popular christian cultural has become great at pointing at the fire rather than extinguishing it. We are really good at identifying the problem, but are not all that good at getting to the source of a solution.

You see, we are born to be responders to God, not reactors to life's pain and disappointments. We are at all times to love God, to let God love us. To let God love others through us. I know nearly everyone of you reading this has this topic totally nailed, but for the very few of you who still struggle, let me encourage you. Our focus should not and really cannot be on our enemy, it must be on the goal. It must be on God! We really don't get the fact, that when God is present, nothing else can exist, it is impossible. God will consume whatever He comes in contact with. Incidentally I think this is why some of us keep our distance. He might require everything. The point is this, our problem isn't really with the devil, it is more that our focus is messed up. Were like a really expensive camera with a disposable lens!

Yesterday, I was really tested on this realization, when I went to a nearby hospital to visit and pray over a former student. She was in the hospital literally awaiting a miracle. The doctors and nurses had given her a 50/50 chance to live, she had been on a respirator for a week and had experienced a heart attack, was stitched all over her abdomen, had 8 different monitors, and 2 tubes running in and out of her body, and as of yesterday was not able to fight off a severe interal infection, to which the doctors could not find an explanation. I stood alone with her for a while, as there was no family, no friends there except one very exceptional and faithful friend who ironically I met out in the hall at the very moment I was about to leave.

She and I proceeded back to the room where we both knew that God would need to bring the miraculous influence of his kingdom. As we walked together back to the clutter room, there was this overwhelming sense of calling and responsibility that I felt for this young lady. How I wanted just to wrap her up and let her know that it was all going to be O.K.. That God was going to heal her! Then there by her bed we prayed and again I asked for nothing more than for God simply to be in that room with us. Inside, I was incredibly angry with the spirit of death an sickness that had come to destroy, but I determined myself not to give any credit where it so clearly was not due, and continued to give God all of the attention, being sure to give Him glory!

As we stood there, I couldn't help but reflect back on how desperately I wanted my own little girl healed just a week or so before, and how now at this moment too, I felt the same feeling of responsibility for this daughter of God that lay there awaiting her miraculous encounter. I am so very grateful to the Lord for teaching me how critical it is to respond to Him, and how it is possible to move Him. If we move the heart of God we remove the effect of evil in our environment, in our culture, in our generation. I don't know about you, but for me and my house, we will server the Lord. What else would I do? I have seen what is possible!

I have not yet heard of the change in Jamie's (my former student) condition, however I do know that where two or more are gathered as representatives who take responsibility for ushering the kingdoms influence; that great restorative power is available. I am eager to report on the miraculous love of God!

Pastor Darren M. Hosé

Posted by Pastor Darren M. Hosé at 11:32 AM 0 comments