Humbled

Four years ago one of the lay ministers we work with began meeting nightly with a large family. One of the brothers had been kidnapped and they were certain he would be killed. They met together for more than 70 days to plead before God for his release. During these days they learned about the heart of God.  The brother was miraculously released.  They have continued to meet and now pray for other families of kidnapped victims.  They are know as a house of prayer and people call them to ask for their prayers on behalf of their loved ones.  Every several months over the last couple of years, Pastor Lutz and I visit the family and we celebrate Holy Communion.

We went tonight.  Every time the Lord shows me something very important.  We are studying on the topic of Sanctification using the Good News magazine.  We are spending 3 whole days on the issue which is packed with important Lutheran Christian teaching on the subject.  The sanctified life…..it takes a life time to live it…..it takes a life time to understand it.

I am humbled by the sanctified life I see in the lives of the people of this home church.  I learn by being in their presence during prayer.  1.  First, they stand and pray with hands held…..and they pray for about 1 1/2 hours.  The matriarch who is more than a decade older than I am  (and bore 9 children!) doesn’t shift around as much as I do!   Man, it makes me realize my prayer time is pretty cushy and soft.  Get together with a prayer partner and try standing and holding hands and praying for 1 1/2 hours…you will know what I mean.  2.  I love how in prayer they recall all the details of their ordeal and trial.  How their brother was in the mouth of the lion, pierced and at the brink of death and how God stretched out his powerful right hand and rescued him.  How they were suffering and He heard their plea for help and mercy, etc.  They recall their ordeal and God’s rescue in such detail, it feels like they are talking about yesterday.  Anyone new is brought right into their saga and hears about a God of rescue and power!  3.  I am bowled over by their mercy.  They pray as much for the kidnappers as the kidnapped and pray for the families of the kidnappers as much as the families of the kidnapped victims.  You would expect language that would ask God to settle accounts, to stop them, to punish them, to take the vengance that rightly belongs to Him as God.  Instead I heard, “Powerful and loving God have mercy on the kidnappers…..AS YOU HAVE HAD mercy on US.  Change their hearts of stone to flesh AS YOU DID FOR US.  Rescue them AS YOU RESCUED US.”  What?  They are putting the kindappers and kidnapped victims in the same basket!  Wow.  That kind of grace knocks me off my feet.

We celebrated Holy Communion after the extended prayer time.  What was on hand was sliced white bread and wine, served in little juice glasses.  The simple, common everyday elements made a holy and perfect offering.  The sanctified life….offering ourselves (the common elements that we are) and God making out of us a holy offering…….every day.  One of the brothers tonight commented on what is important in our lives…..”it is humbling ourself before God because He is perfect and good.”  Amen.