Seeing the Shining Light

Stirred, not Shaken
Have you ever had the opportunity to spend time with someone whose gift of discernment is so finely tuned that within minutes of meeting someone, he can see that person’s heart and speak precisely to the individual’s needs? God works through people like this in ways that move us, inspire us, and strengthen our faith.

This past week we were blessed to host a wonderful servant of Christ while he visited Southern California to attend a conference at our church. He was just such a person. And as God would have it, Steve came to visit us at a time when we most needed him.

Prior to his arrival we shared numerous email exchanges and phone conversations with our prospective guest. First we discussed the details of his visit. As we grew to know one another better, we talked more about our walks with Jesus.

July had been an unusually challenging time for my husband Rich and me. We had cleared each hurdle, but were bruised by the effort at month’s end. And Rich was feeling a flat spot in his faith as August arrived.

Two weeks before his trip, our guest faced significant spiritual warfare intended to turn him away from traveling here. He persevered and won that series of battles. We spoke frequently during this difficult time for him. Once the siege was over, my husband Rich told me, “God has great things planned for Steve’s visit! I can feel it!”

I had never heard Rich say such a thing before. His words didn’t ring true to me.

I said, “Well, we’ll just have to see what happens when he gets here.”

As the days passed until Steve’s arrival, Rich repeated his conviction that great things were coming on that plane from Kentucky. My concern mounted. I feared that Rich would be disappointed if our guest’s visit played out mundanely, as nothing other than another believer attending a conference, rather than as a time of great things happening. Given our recent difficulties, I prayed that Rich would not be crushed. Secretly, I doubted anything special was in the works during his stay with us.

I could not have been more wrong. God worked, spoke, and blessed us all in amazing ways while Steve was with us, and so often that it will take several posts to share the stories with you. Within about two hours of Steve’s arrival, it was clear to me that Rich’s prophesy was true.

I rejoiced. Rich was not disappointed. More importantly, the truth of his conviction stirred his faith in ways we had not imagined.

Others saw Steve’s gift too. Midway through his visit, a dear friend of ours who has been struggling with a series of setbacks joined us for dinner, bringing her six year old son along. Within five minutes of their arrival, “John,” as I’ll call the child, fixed his gaze on Steve and said,
“God loves you more than anything!“

Steve asked him, “How do you know that?”

John smiled, displaying his missing two front teeth, and said, “I just know.“

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like
fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our
great power is from God, not from ourselves.
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT)