A few night ago, some van loads of us went downtown for our weekly Kingdom Night. I didn't know what was about to take place, but I knew that it was going to be worth the while. For starters, I wasn't even thinking about going. In addition to that i'd just been watching five kids the last few nights and I was pretty worn down- i was going to have some "relax time"- whatever that means.
Anyways, I decided to go last minute and was stoked about it! There was something different about tonight. It was like someones life was depending on it.
We arrived and I was sweating from the van ride there and very much needed the restroom. Expecting to run inside as quick as I could, we were rudely awakened to the fact that there was an event inside the church and could not use it. So we prayed outside on the patio overlooking the city, and again, somehow I knew tonight was different than the rest.
We were rushed off the patio due to a wedding rehearsal, so our normal half-hour prayer session was limited to a mere five minutes. Then we divided into groups of three and headed out. We didn't have any specific words except a red shirt and the name Bob. But, we were excited: tonight, people were going to encounter a real God who is madly in love with them.
We walked for a while and chatted to one man for a while, but he didn't want the prayer. Then, we found him- we didn't know it at first, but we found one of God's lost sons and brought Him to face the Father's heart!
The conversation started like this: "Can I pet your dog", and then we all sat down. We exchanged stories of why we were all in Denver and things progressed. You see, God wasn't content with us just "reminding" our new friend about Himself, He was expecting a relationship with him (we'll call him Edward). He wanted Ed to know that He saw him even if he thought he was forgotten, that Ed was worth His affection, and that He wanted to be close to Edward.
Our new friend tried at first to hide the tears and brush it off like it wasn't really happening, but God wan't about to let him off the hook. Instead, He gave us some specific words and reeled him in for a hug- a big, I've been waiting for this for a long time, daddy hug.
It was incredible to be a part of such a love story, and I was set to joyful praise for a long while after that. But, here's the thing: you and I are each a part of the greater love story. It's been around for a few thousand years, and it keeps going on with every one of us. And yet, His love never dies and it never grows cold, He will always be madly in Love with us, even if we don't see it.
(Oh, and I forgot to mention that Edward was wearing a red shirt, and, he never gave us his real name.)
Anyways, I decided to go last minute and was stoked about it! There was something different about tonight. It was like someones life was depending on it.
We arrived and I was sweating from the van ride there and very much needed the restroom. Expecting to run inside as quick as I could, we were rudely awakened to the fact that there was an event inside the church and could not use it. So we prayed outside on the patio overlooking the city, and again, somehow I knew tonight was different than the rest.
We were rushed off the patio due to a wedding rehearsal, so our normal half-hour prayer session was limited to a mere five minutes. Then we divided into groups of three and headed out. We didn't have any specific words except a red shirt and the name Bob. But, we were excited: tonight, people were going to encounter a real God who is madly in love with them.
We walked for a while and chatted to one man for a while, but he didn't want the prayer. Then, we found him- we didn't know it at first, but we found one of God's lost sons and brought Him to face the Father's heart!
The conversation started like this: "Can I pet your dog", and then we all sat down. We exchanged stories of why we were all in Denver and things progressed. You see, God wasn't content with us just "reminding" our new friend about Himself, He was expecting a relationship with him (we'll call him Edward). He wanted Ed to know that He saw him even if he thought he was forgotten, that Ed was worth His affection, and that He wanted to be close to Edward.
Our new friend tried at first to hide the tears and brush it off like it wasn't really happening, but God wan't about to let him off the hook. Instead, He gave us some specific words and reeled him in for a hug- a big, I've been waiting for this for a long time, daddy hug.
It was incredible to be a part of such a love story, and I was set to joyful praise for a long while after that. But, here's the thing: you and I are each a part of the greater love story. It's been around for a few thousand years, and it keeps going on with every one of us. And yet, His love never dies and it never grows cold, He will always be madly in Love with us, even if we don't see it.
(Oh, and I forgot to mention that Edward was wearing a red shirt, and, he never gave us his real name.)
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