SHOWERED BY GOD’S LOVE

The special event was scheduled for Friday and Saturday, February 8 and 9. The leader of the Women’s Ministries gave the prayer team a homework assignment in preparation for the conference. Each of us was given a white poster board with instructions. She wanted us to think over our past and remember the most condemning lie we had believed before coming to know Christ. We were to write that on one side of the poster board. On the other side, we were to write the scripture that disproved the lie. We were to complete these at home and bring them to church on Friday night .

I felt a stirring in my spirit as I prepared to work on my project. I looked at the empty poster board and asked the Holy Spirit for guidance. I had believed many lies before coming to Christ. Though I prayed a salvation prayer and was baptized at age 12, my relationship with the Lord began intimately at age 52, a deep chasm across four decades. Lies had hardened into barriers during those years. Which lie to share? I was immediately drawn to Psalm 139. God had spoken to me while reading this passage of scripture one night in Goshen after Scott died. My eyes rested on 14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” My heart surged with joy in response to His words! For the majority of my life, I had believed the lie that I would never amount to anything. This was the base lie of all the other lies that had built over the years. I wrote out the words of the lie in large bold letters and drew teardrops around the words. I turned the poster board over and wrote the words from Psalm 139:14 in big bold letters and placed large red heart sequins around these words. Through my relationship with God that began to grow following the death of my husband, I had gained the understanding and assurance that I was forever loved by God and would never be abandoned. He was with me every breath, every step. God ministered to me as I worked on my project, and I rejoiced in our special time of spiritual intimacy.

There were more than 200 women in attendance at the retreat. I served on the prayer team Friday night and Saturday morning. The poster boards were presented on Friday night for a segment in the guest speaker’s message. Each of us presented our board with the lie exposed first, then turned the sign over to reveal the conquering scripture. Flipping that poster board to reveal the truth from God’s word was empowering, and I silently prayed for the women in the sanctuary to achieve victory over any lies in their lives through Christ.

The featured speaker had brought a small team to serve with her from her ministry. These ladies performed the foot washing portion of service. This was my first experience and I was not sure what to expect. I made sure my feet were clean and nails trimmed that morning before coming to church in anticipation. A young woman from the speaker’s ministry team placed her hands on my feet after sprinkling them with water. She smiled warmly, and I heard her gasp softly in surprise. She spoke some positive words over my life. I was deeply moved and thanked her for speaking. I pictured Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, and His love washed over me anew. Tears welled up in response. After putting on my shoes, I moved to the other side of the sanctuary, to help serve the women who would come forward for prayer.

The prayer team wore black tops and pants, and we were given white scarves to place around the neck of the women we prayed with, for them to keep. I was happy to pray with several precious women. The Holy Spirit guided the prayers, and I remained calm and focused during each interaction. I hugged every woman after prayer, draped a scarf around her neck with love, and smiled as we parted. My spirit was soaring with the Holy Spirit, and I believed something incredible was happening.
Later that night at home, as I sat quietly with the Lord, I received a revelation. He wanted me to serve at the event in order to receive His message through the foot washing in response to the poster board I had created. Despite an unhappy childhood and many mistakes as an adult, my life had value and purpose. I basked in His love as I sat with Him quietly in peace, in gratitude, in awe. The depth of His love left me speechless.