Excerpt from chapter "Summit meetings with God" from Leona's forthcoming book.
On one occasion I visited Korea during
winter. Korean Christians in the village area where my friends lived
got up daily before dawn summoned by the ringing of church bells.
They struggled in darkness through narrow, deserted streets in the
bitter cold to their unheated church. They knelt on the cement floor
and prayed to the same God I worship in my comfort zone sitting on
a padded pew in a climate-controlled sanctuary.
A fervently praying
people, Korean Christians often trek to mountain retreats to fast and
pray for days as they sit or kneel on straw mats in unheated assembly
halls bare of furniture. Some pray alone outdoors in
rough-hewn closet-like shacks that resemble short telephone booths
dug into the sides of “Prayer Mountain.” The shelters are only
high enough for a person to kneel; a flimsy wooden door protects them
from drifting snow and icy wind. A bare light bulb dangles from the
ceiling for reading God's Word after dark. I took photos of those
sanctuaries as a reminder to my lazy spirit.
I stayed overnight with
hardy missionaries in the mountains of Japan where water froze in the
glass at my bedside. I wore a ski cap to bed and plunged deep under
five comforters with a heated brick at my feet to make it through the
night in an unheated antique trailer. Nevertheless, their call to
prayer came daily at 5 a.m. before breakfast for the whole missionary
community to assemble, including children. I broke the ice in the
porcelain basin to wash my face. My toothpaste didn't thaw until
noon.
Lord, have mercy on my
weak, slothful flesh. Waken my lazy, comfortable ear, bolster my
will, and draw me into Your presence by the sheer power of Your love.
I confess that I have a sleepy ear. When it snuggles deep into my
pillow, it is as if there were a sign on it: Do not disturb! I've
never been a morning person. I'm convicted by this verse: “[The
Lord God] wakens me morning by morning. He wakens my ear to hear as
disciples—as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I have not been rebellious or turned backward” (Isaiah 50:4,5).
I'm aware that the
immediate context was for Israel, but there are important
transferable concepts that apply to me. God challenges me not to pull
the covers over my head when Jesus whispers into the ears of my
heart, “Get up. I've prepared breakfast for you. I'm here to eat
with you” (Rev. 3:20; John 21:9,10). The Lord invites me to become
alert and go to a summit meeting with Him to receive His agenda for
today and the power to carry it out.
But one thing is for sure,
my flesh is reluctant to cooperate. Literally, the older I get, the
harder it is to get out of bed in the morning. My body acts paralyzed
and my aches and pains are real. I feel as if I've become physically
challenged! The doctor may diagnose it as “sacroiliac joint
dysfunction,” but I know it has a spiritual dimension too. It's my
choice whether to obey the Lord joyfully or ignore Him. The Lord
offers a hand to help me up through the energizing of the Holy Spirit as
I lean on Him.
It's a good thing I don't
live back in the biblical times—Jesus might say, “Arise! Take up
your bed and walk!” I would have a hard time hoisting my queen size
bed and mattress on my back!
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