Poema

Dear Grace, 

When I look back on my 14 years at Grace, I can recall some special moments in which we experienced a powerful move of God. There were moments of profound connection as we grieved the sudden death of a beloved worship leader. Grace on the Lawn where the entire church gathered in an outdoor concert-type venue. Our 40th anniversary where we had Brent Brooks and Mark Norman back to spur us on. I remember a surprising and visceral response to a sermon in James where the aisles and front of the auditorium were filled with couples asking God to move afresh in their marriages. 

This past Friday night’s close of the Week of Unbroken Prayer was definitely on the list. A few hundred of us gathered to be still before the Lord – the culmination of a week of incessant and constant prayer. Learning how to be in the presence of the Lord and just listen. Uniting our hearts and affections to contend for the next generation, for our marriages, for a move of God in our church. On Friday night, I found myself prostrate before the Lord, in the company of so many of you, weeping for the Lord to give us a hunger for Him, to “restore the years that the locusts have eaten.” (Joel 2:25). Pastors Thomas and Brian then led us into prayers for our church and for our land. It was powerful. 

As if just having an audience with God was not enough, our musicians and worship leaders led us in a time of praise and adoration, declaring that Jesus reigns above everything. I can’t remember the last time I sang that loud. 

The testimonies of how people encountered God are flooding in. So. Much. Mercy. Surely, He is a God who listens and comes near. (If you have a story to share, you can use this link to do so!) 

As I sit with some of the stories, I’m finding myself slowing down even more to listen to the Lord. The momentum of the ministry year launch is certainly a temptation to just jump back in. 

Let me encourage you not to move on to quickly. Create a pocket of time to reflect on how God has come to you, and how He is continuing to come to you. I know there were so many seeds. Take the time and attention to gather the ones God wants you to sow. How will you know? You’ll need to sit with them long enough. Don’t be surprised if the enemy ramps up its tactics to distract you, discourage you, and make you doubt who God is.

Our culture habitualizes us in such a way that we are good at the build-up (think hype) and participation in something exciting, but we are not so good at sustaining, waiting, and watching for the next steps. I don’t believe that God wants us to leave what we have experienced of Him in the rearview mirror. Nor does He want us to hang onto it in nostalgia. There is this tension I find: God is constantly doing new things, but they are not irrespective of what has gone before. Often times, the invitation is to wait in the now while He reveals and invites us to a simple next step.

Would you join me in praying that God would make it unmistakably clear how we are to follow Him? How might He desire for us to steward the seeds that have come from this past week? 

This Friday, I celebrate my 10th year of being called to be the Lead Pastor of Grace, 14 years overall at Grace. There is so much to recount as I reflect on the journey of these years. I hope to put some reflections and review into next week’s Poema. 

In the meanwhile, I pray that this week(end) rings loudly with the invitation of Jesus to Come and See, and that you’ll have the grace to respond both as you step towards Jesus and invite others to do the same. See you this Sunday for Part 2 – Follow Me. Remember, we’re at 9:00 and 11:15!

-Mitchel