Little did I know when I called my close friend Cindy in Ohio, whom God has appointed as a very crucial and much needed intercessor for my ministry, that God would make His intentions so plainly, so clearly, so explicitly, unequivocally and without any shadow of a doubt, so very obvious to me.
Upon telling her that I had been praying for days and seeking Godīs heart about the sermon I needed to prepare for Sunday morning, she said, "God is showing me a bag and your message is īin the bagī." After questioning her extensively as to what type of bag and whether it was a plastic grocery bag or a large suitcase, she explained that it had handles and was larger than a briefcase. Something you would take on a trip.
(The chain of events that followed will absolutely amaze you. They certainly did me, because in the end I went ballistic, jumping and leaping and shouting and running all over the house in an attempt to convey to my very laid-back and basically docile, who-never-gets-overly-excited husband the enormousness of what was happening in his living room.)
Getting back to the moments following my phone call with Cindy, I then began my daily devotions which consist of reading four consecutive chapters from four different parts of the bible. Tucked away at the back of my mind was the word, ībagī which I expected would simply "jump off" some page at me while I was studying. Instead, my mind started to wander and I started to think about using a bag as a prop in my sermon. The problem was, I HATED props! Secondly, "What would I do with a bag," I wondered, "pull stuff out of it?" With that in mind I remembered this unusual torch that my husband had brought home from a garage sale a couple of months back. For some strange reason, he thought I would be thrilled. I am NEVER thrilled with all the junk he brings home every Saturday and try to make it disappear off the kitchen table, out of sight, just as fast as possible. This torch though was really unique. It was about 12 inches tall and had orange lights shining upward onto fabric which was being blown about by a hidden fan so that it was in motion, giving the illusion of actual flames of fire. Considering what a īgoodī prop it would make, I decided to see if the word torch was anywhere in the bible. Checking my concordance, I found that it was only mentioned once. Reading the passage I quickly realized it was nothing to write a sermon about.
Giving up on the idea, I decided to continue reading in the second book of Timothy and keep going until I connected with the mind of God. In less than a minute, two names, which I canīt even pronounce, much less spell, grabbed my attention. Normally, I couldnīt care less who they were or what they were doing in the middle of this chapter because they did not pertain to anything relevant going on in my life or ministry or message BUT for some inexplicable reason (tongue in cheek) I pulled out my Study Bible to investigate and ferret out everything I could about them. Had I not pulled this particular Study Bible off my shelf I would never have read the footnotes containing the word ītorchī which then so clearly, categorically, unmistakably and very loudly screamed out at me... GOD WANTS YOU TO USE THIS TORCH!
Becoming ecstatic, I ran for the torch and thatīs when I caused all the commotion in my living room, flapping my arms up and down and shouting, "Darko, Darko, can you fathom whatīs happening here and how God has orchestrated this preposterous chain of events? You bought this torch and then I stuck it in that bag, of all places and ..." Thatīs when the revelation really hit me like a lightening bolt... IT WAS IN A BAG! I had placed that torch in the large cloth tote bag, which coincidentally contains all my bibles, books and other materials which I take back and forth with me when I travel in ministry. There was absolutely no earthly reason to put it there, but there it was, all this time, tucked away with all the other tools that I need to bring forth Godīs truth.
At this moment I donīt know what that truth is going to be or what He is going to have me do with that torch. The torch is not the issue, but what is so exciting is the fact that we are able to access the very heart and mind of God. It is indeed exciting to know that God is totally and continuously involved in every aspect of our lives, coordinating each and every event down to the most minute detail and leading us in a particular direction so that we can reach the objective that He has set out for us. Therefore, we really need to pay attention to those details! Submitted 2/17/2006 3:36:37 PM | Post Comment
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