What if . . .
Do you ever stop and wonder what if . . . ? What if I had gone to this school, or taken that job? What would be different in my life if I had taken a different path at one point or another?
I think about those kinds of things periodically, usually when I stop rushing around trying to accomplish a dozen things at once and finally remember to breathe. Life is full of choices, little decisions along the way that do not seem particularly big at the time. It is only in retrospect that we can look back and realize how the little choices added up to big differences in life. I find that as I have gotten older and have more miles under my belt, I can see more clearly how the decisions I have made along the way have led me to where I am today. Maybe that is why so many people go through a midlife crisis and make radical changes, not necessarily wise ones, unfortunately. There comes a time when you realize how much of life is already gone, and maybe you haven't done all the great things you planned to do when you were young. Time becomes more precious, and you want to grab for all you can get out of life before it is too late.
The typical midlife crisis—running away from a spouse, dressing too young, buying fast cars, and so on—that is not for me. I do not need to live in an illusion that I am young again, though I confess, I do plan to color my hair and keep the gray at bay until I am at least 70 or 80; my mother colored her hair until she passed away, and I may do exactly the same. What matters most to me now is to not miss out on anything that God is doing or that he has for me to do. I do not want to come to the end of my life and look back with regret because I did not pursue God with all my heart and follow him wherever he led.
That is why we are hopping on a plane and heading to Florida to catch some of the fire that is being released in what is being called the Healing Outpouring in Lakeland, Florida. The meetings started out at a church in Lakeland and were supposed to last a week, just an "ordinary" conference with Todd Bentley of Fresh Fire Ministries in Canada--although if you are familiar with Todd at all, you know that most conferences he is involved with are not what most would consider ordinary. Then God showed up and things started happening: healings, miracles, people giving their lives to God, and the meetings were extended, and extended again, and extended again. The meetings are being shown on television on GodTV and on the Internet on their website, www.god.tv, and people watching at home are experiencing the same thing. I cannot help but wonder what if . . . what if this is the start of something that will go around the world, like the Azusa Street revival, or the renewal that started in Toronto, or other great moves of God? We did not think it would be possible to go, but out of the blue God provided the means, so we are going for it. We do not want to miss out on what God is doing in the world today.
People are flocking to Lakeland from across the United States and around the world because there is such a sense of expectation that something amazing is happening and because they have a hunger for God. Reports are flooding in of people who have been healed of all kinds of diseases both in the meetings and while watching the meetings in their homes. We have friends who drove 18 hours to attend the meetings, and they have been blessed by the experience. The meetings have had to be moved to a larger venue because the crowds keep coming and growing; something amazing is going on.
It isn't necessary to go to Lakeland to experience the presence of God or his healing power. It can happen for anyone wherever you may be; God will meet you where you are today if you will ask him, that is what he is like. If you have the ability to go, however, do it; why not see and experience for yourself what God is doing there so you can take some home with you to your family and community.
We are not interested in going just so we can ooh and aah over the cool stuff going on; no, we want to get some of what's happening there and bring it home with us to touch our region with the presence of God. Once you have tasted of the goodness of God and of his presence, nothing else satisfies; we are completely addicted to Jesus and glad of it. We are ruined for anything less than all God has for us.
April 27, 2008