SITTING IN THE MOMENT
Taking time to simply be quiet for a few minutes in a day could demand planning and discipline. But what if we would simply “show up” and be silent before God, letting Him pour over us His affection, letting Him reveal our own hearts to ourselves, and as we do, finally learn to become familiar with God’s language? In turn, we could just respond by whispering, “Father, I am here to be with you, I let go, I give you, I will do, work in me, heal, save, restore…”
I use the term “SOAKING” as being that which we do when we lay down before the Lord, our main goal being to meet with Him, people praying over us in a non-interfering way, the sound of soothing music pouring over the room as anointing is being released and experienced.
Although it seems that prayer times are on the fringes of church weekly meetings, it has been my experience that those times may be some of the most precious moments in our assembling together. They are packed with a blessed mixture: people share their needs in vulnerability, others offer compassion, time and attention to pray for them, and the anticipation of faith draws them all to a place of meeting with the LORD in a way that brings about noticeable and sometimes dramatic changes in people’s lives.
But we spend most of our times outside of church. So how can we carry this experience with us? To me, soaking is to be understood and approached as one way among many which translates our longings into an act of worship and abandonment, something we can practice to bring us to a place of utter abandonment to God. As in faith, so in passion and devotion.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Elisha asked for a musician (minstrel) to be brought in his presence as he was about to inquire of the LORD for the king of Judah:
“But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the LORD:…”
We also read: “Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him” (1 Samuel 16:23). Saul was plagued by a harassing spirit and whenever David would play the harp, the anointing would subdue the evil spirit.
Blessings to all,
Keep on soaking,
André Lefebvre, St.Stephen, NB