[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 22/Nov/2016]
Last Sunday as I parked the car at church I looked through a window of the church and for some reason I saw Brian Gawn and Mark Zivilik dancing. Later when Elizabeth Bellingham was leading the service we sang “God is good” and she emphasised the line “I feel like dancing”. As we were singing a number of the congregation began dancing in time to the music.
This reminded me of a time when I spoke in a previous church about Peter receiving a vision of a sheet containing unclean animals coming down out of heaven from God when He wanted Peter to do something he felt unable to do. I jokingly suggested that if I saw a sheet containing a church congregation dancing in praise to God I would find it impossible to jump in and join them, as dancing is something I do not do. Some weeks later I was near the front of the church and as we were singing in praise of God I was filled with a deep worship of Him and began dancing. I was told afterwards by one of the music group that the faces of the people there were a picture as they watched me dancing.
There are times when the Lord challenges us to serve him in ways that we consider unable to do. Perhaps we feel that we do not have the ability, the time or the right gifts to serve Him in a particular way, whether helping regularly with young people, or with catering for a church meal, or providing lifts to those who need transport. If we don’t realise that God wants us to get involved in such ways then we miss out on the blessings that He has prepared for us. I remember a time when an appeal went out in that other church for help with Boys Brigade and I said to myself that was something I could not do. However, the captain made a personal request for me to join them as a leader, and I found myself doing things I had never done before that later led to me being involved with Girls Brigade as their Chaplain.
Is God challenging you to serve Him in a new way even though you feel unable to do it? If that is truly His will for you then by His Spirit He will give you the power to do it. Even Paul had to say, “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” (2Cor 3:5 NLT)
~~~~~~~~
.
Return to weekly Reflections
Jump to Index of Bible Passages
Contributed by Michael Goble; © the Author
