Power in Weakness

One thing I am really taking away from this week is a refined focus concerning what God has called me to in the few years I have left before I meet Christ. The prayer of Ephesians 1:18 is that we would know the hope of His calling for our life. Well, if that calling is so hope-filled, what the heck is it? In the midst of the struggles of these past months I believe that I have inadvertently slipped into a false paradigm of what my life on earth is “supposed” to look like. My vision for God's fullness has been subtly reduced to getting by, surviving - just a few "deserved" comforts in a world full of pain. Unfortunately, in an attempt to comfort me in my miseries, many people have perpetuated these ideals. I’m here to be happy, healthy, successful, and see all my dreams come true…right? Well, sort of. There is truth in that statement, but for it to really match up with what the Bible actually says, there need to be some pretty weighty qualifications attached

I felt extremely tender after seeing the vision of Jesus coming to free me from my prison cell of sickness and emotional turmoil. I was still under the impact of it, wiping the tears from my face, when the atmosphere of the service changed yet again. The musicians began to play and the silence was breached. Wes Hall announced, “Tonight is going to be an Isaiah 6 experience for many of you. If you feel called to any nation in Asia, come up to the altar now.” I thought, eh – not really. Sometimes I feel called to Israel…is that in Asia? I kind of just wanted to sit there and cry some more. I certainly felt more peaceful than I did an hour ago. Then Wes said, “…Or any Muslim nation.” As if by some invisible force that bypassed my cognitive processes and reached down into my spirit, I felt pulled to the front of the room. Without a second thought, I stood up with about 50 others and walked towards the stage. From the moment I planted my feet in the prayer line that reached from o