HISTORY PLUS EXPERIENCE
Christine Wyrtzen
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:35
My biggest mistake would be to read God's Word like a storybook and fail to see the stories as personal insights in how God might relate to me. Can I have a burning bush experience? Can I know a Pentecost moment?
Do men and women still dream dreams and decide, upon waking, that God is sending them a personalized message? Yes. My faith is not built on history alone but on a present day experience with Jesus Christ.
God’s Spirit hovered over Mary and she conceived. Nine months later, she gave birth to the Son of God. This intimate gesture of overshadowing ushered her into her most holy calling as the mother of Jesus. But the Spirit of God must still overshadow the saints today if they are to give birth to their most holy callings. There can be no conception of a call without this act of communion. For years, I thought I was in touch with God’s will for my life, and in fact, I prayed for it earnestly but what was missing was intimacy with God.
Jesus said, “He who believes in me, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” The word for innermost being in the original language is ‘womb’. Through every child, God wants to birth something for the kingdom. Something holy is to proceed from their spiritual womb. What is it? The only way to know is to be intimate with Him. There is something about the redemption of our story that is unique. Out of our individual brokenness, and out of the way He speaks His healing Word to those desolate places, will emerge our calling. When He reveals it to each of us, it fits like a glove. Praise, worship, and unspeakable joy are the result; our versions of the Magnificat.
To discover my purpose, I must be intimate. To know how to walk in it, I must be intimate. To transcend the challenges that come with a calling, I must be intimate. Any kingdom work done without intimacy is powerless.
Be large over my life. I am your handmaiden. Amen
Originally published Friday, 14 December 2018.
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