More Than I Could Ask or Imagine...

Last Saturday I had one of the most wonderful experiences of my life; it was surreal, almost magical. I had the opportunity to minister and serve in the Prayer & Restoration Room at the Bloom Women’s Conference. I was invited to serve there by an amazing woman of noble character who Pastors at that Church. She is a friend, mentor, teacher, leader, co-worker in Christ, and so much more; she is one of God’s favorite daughters. And she chose me to be among the few who served in Restoration for the event. I am honored; I am humbled; I am thrilled; I am overjoyed. I feel so loved and blessed that I could love and bless the women who came through our room at the conference.

We hosted over 300 women in total at the event, but in our room we served but a few of those. We prayed for this event for weeks in advance, praying for the opportunity to see Jesus move in the lives of the women He sent to us, and that we might be His hands and feet for the day. The Restoration Room was beautifully appointed, with comfy chairs, spaces for private prayer, spaces where women could receive prayer for specific needs, a place for a Foot Washing Experience, steeped in prayer and the Love of Jesus. We also set a beautiful table for Communion if any of our guests wanted to participate in that way. The ladies who chose to visit the Restoration Room were not quick to leave, as the atmosphere was filled with a peace that passes understanding, and an aroma of prayer that must have reached the Heavens. Our youngest visitor was a newborn baby, not more than 3 weeks old and while he entered feeling fussy, he left bathed in the Love of Jesus and His perfect Shalom. And because I am a lady, I will not divulge the age of our eldest visitor. Suffice it to say: we served all manner of visitors in all age ranges, coming to seek the Lord for one reason or another; no one left disappointed.

It is a rare and beautiful thing to see a woman open her heart so bravely to the Lord; to see a true vulnerability that comes when you realize that there is only One Answer to your situation, and His name is Jesus. I have been that lady several times in my life. I have fallen to my knees at the altar on more than one occasion, in desperation, in fear, in gratitude, and the Lord has never failed to meet me there. And the precious women of Bloom were no different. They came to experience the Presence of God, to seek Him, to inquire of Him, and to listen for His response. I am so grateful to the Lord that He allowed me the privilege of helping facilitate those experiences for those ladies.

As well as serving at the conference, I was able to meet some amazing women that the Lord sent to minister to me. Isn’t it funny how that works out? I go there to pray for and with God’s daughters, hoping to see a shift in their situations, hoping to witness a move of God in ways that man could never move; and God’s daughters end up praying for and serving me!! I’m not sure, but I think that is in the Bible: Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38) Wow Jesus!! Your Word is True!! Thank You Lord for showing me Your glory, for showing me how You work when we get out of Your way, for showing me what You can do when we act like The Church! Thank You Lord, for one of the best experiences of my life!

 I hope that when you have the opportunity to attend a Women’s Conference offered by a Bible-based, Spirit-filled Church that you will not miss the chance! There are so many opportunities to hear from ladies whose lives have been transformed by the Blood of Jesus. These conferences are offered here, there, and everywhere; large and small; mega and mini. And you know what? They are all great if Jesus is at the center of them!! Go to a local Church in your little town, or big city. Or go to YouTube. But whatever you do, Go! Seek the Lord while He can be found (Isaiah 55:6). Don’t miss an opportunity to see, hear, experience and know what our God can do for you in your life and situations. If He will do it for one, He will do it for another! He is All-Good, all the time! Show up for Him and He will show up for you! He did for me; and He did for 300+ ladies last Saturday at Bloom.

I started praying that morning when I got in my car to head to the Church; that was at 7am. I prayed the whole way there, mostly out loud, praising Him and singing to Him and thanking Him for the amazing day ahead. When I arrived, prayer started in earnest! We prayed as a group before the 1st guest arrived, and prayed all day until we left at 4pm. The only time we were not praying was when we were singing in worship, or eating lunch. According to my calculations, I prayed for 8+ hours last Saturday!! That is crazy, and so so good. When I left the Church that afternoon, the only way I can describe the feeling is “high”—high on Jesus, drunk in the Holy Spirit, filled to overflowing with a joy and effervescence that can’t come from a man-made substance. I felt as if I were a few feet off the ground, still moving under my own steam, but with quality of lightness that I can’t possibly explain. If you know me, you know that I am rarely short on words, least of all descriptive words. That said, I need to dig a little deeper. I felt like Champagne. I felt like fresh spring air in Jasper when it is 68 degrees and a cleansing rain has just passed through. I felt like I had just experienced a ride in an open-cockpit bi-plane over Kitty Hawk. I felt like I did when I looked off the top platform of the Eiffel Tower. Only better. It was pure Jesus! It was pure Holy Spirit. It was pure Love of the Father. Deep prayer and worship, the kind I experienced last Saturday, isn’t an everyday thing for me. I have to go to work a little, I have to do laundry, I have to cook and clean a bit, and I have to sleep too. So I do not often devote a whole “business day” to prayer. But. My experience Saturday made me question my priorities and made me want to do a little juggling in my schedule. Less laundry, more prayer!! That’s it!! The recipe for a lightness of Spirit: less laundry, more prayer. And as I sit here, thinking this through and tap tap tapping at the keyboard, I realize that the Father probably called me to Pray for His People all those years ago because He wants me to experience this kind of joy, this kind of lightness, this kind of peace. Because I certainly was not getting this feeling from this world. He knows this Peace only comes through a relationship with Jesus. I owe Father God a big Thank You for that dream, for the Call to Pray, for the Call to speak the Name of Jesus. If I can work my way up to 8 hours of prayer every day…What?? More than I could ask or Imagine!

So why am I telling you all this? It is a testimony—a testimony of what God can do in our lives if we will get out of His way, a testimony of what He will do in our lives if we devote ourselves to prayer and thanksgiving, a testimony of what God will do in our lives if we give Him a whole day every now and then, a sacrifice of our love and our time. He honors our sacrifices. And for me, sometimes He sends a raging fire to consume the sacrifice and all that is left is His glory. It is just a testimony. One of many. And trust me, I have many. It is my fondest hope for you that you, too, will have many testimonies of His Love, and Power in your life!

Pray this with me:

Lord Father in Heaven,

Thank You for all of the wonderful experiences You shower on us. Thank You that You love us and bless us by pouring out the Love of Jesus, not only through Your Holy Word, but through the people You put in our lives and situations. Thank You for Your Church and the goodness she reveals when she is actively seeking You and Your Kingdom! Lord, guide us that we would seek You more, seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness so that all of these things will be added to us! Thank You for godly friendships, Jesus conferences, long days filled with sunshine and prayer, and all of Your very best blessings. Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and Your love- everlasting!

In Jesus’ Mighty name, AMEN!