The Servant Witness

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The Servant Witness

Thus says The Lord:

“Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown.”

“I shall deliver you from this people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you, to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith in Me.”  Acts 26:16-18

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As I look back over some of the events of this past week, this Scripture comes to mind…

For the first time in many, many years, perhaps a decade or more, I was able this past week to walk over a mile in the mall with just my cane, leaving my walker behind. Truth is, my Jawbone step tracking device was omitting many, if not most of my daily steps. So I thought if my hands were free rather than grasping the handles of my walker, it would remedy the situation. Turns out my Jawbone is defective, but in the process of trying to walk without my walker, I made a tremendous personal discovery: I can now walk long distances without a walker!

I guess it’s really true that necessity is the mother of invention. ‘Likely never would have tried walking without my walker that day, had my Jawbone been working correctly. The implications are many as I have been working diligently on building my strength since getting out of the wheelchair in September. Walking distances allows me to strengthen atrophied muscles head to toe, lose weight, improve stamina, focus and concentration, and get valuable endorphins I have been missing for years by having to be sedentary per doctor’s orders over the past 33 years.

Most of all, it reminds me there “is a season for every purpose under Heaven.” I look forward to this new season with great anticipation as I read the Scripture above about the servant witness:

“Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown.” Acts 26:16

I look forward eagerly, not only because this is a hopeful time, but a faith building time first and foremost for myself, as well as for those around me. It is a time to celebrate with great joy that “Jesus, the Great Healer showed up!” Not only did “He show up,” this is a tremendous answered prayer for all those who have been praying for me, as well as my own anguished pleas.

God really does hear and answer our anguished cries. He has surrounded me and my family with God loving, Jesus believing friends that have provided tremendous encouragement along the way. God has also seeded my soul with the resilient desire to believe in miracles and lots of them, even and especially when all seems lost. When I pray, I expect a miracle and an answer from the Lord. This is called expectant prayer. And He always comes through!

In my 58 years of life God has healed me and delivered me from so many medical conditions and circumstances, including epilepsy, a brain tumor, respiratory muscle weakness, a severe speech impairment, a uterine tumor, as well as major depression, PTSD associated with pervasive childhood trauma. And the list goes on and on!

How blest are we to serve the merciful, Triune God of grace, who created the universe!?! How blest are we to serve our God who is so very present in our times of need? Yes, we are truly blest to have the privilege to walk by faith, not by sight! I believe that the greatest difficulties in life come when we refuse to believe, or forget, just how loved we are by God. That is when depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and a myriad of other challenges can take root. Yes, God loves each of us intimately and unconditionally through the power of the Holy Spirit and gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation.

God stands in wait for humanity to simply follow His 10 commandments and call upon the name of Jesus so He can intercede on our behalf. But the power of free-will is so strong, addictive, even, and it is sometimes hard for us in our humanness to let go of pride and control, so God can do His finest work in our lives. To do so, we need to try to put aside every obstacle [sin] that pushes Him away.

Most of all, we need to thank Jesus and invite Him into every circumstance BEFORE we become aware of our need for Him. No need for eloquent speech, just a willing servant’s heart for God and those in need, and a willingness to witness to others about His unearned grace and unsurpassed generosity. Just pray, “Jesus I trust in You.”

Yes, God has been so good to me and my family. But it’s not about anything exemplary that I have done. Rather, it speaks to His glorious Love for all of humanity!

“All things work for good for those who love God.”  Romans 8:28

Adele M. Gill   |   Copyright 2016   |  www.theinspirationcafeblog.net