Come, Read the Bible with Me!

Friday, March 02, 2007

I am Undone!

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 6:1-8


Last week at Planned Parenthood, finding out that a woman had been coming and going from the building before Glen and I arrived, we lifted her up in prayer. after that, in obedience to sow the seed abundantly, I approached her car when she pulled out to leave. I didn't think that she would pause, much less open her window to accept the flyer I offered or even talk to me.

God answered our prayer:

She paused, stopped, rolled down her window, but did not accept the flyer I offered. She told me that she brought her friend, who has been her friend since they were five years old. She didn't want to read the flyer, because she was too upset about what her friend was here for, she was unable to convince her friend not to do this. I told her that the other side of the flyer dealt with sin, forgiveness and salvation and wrote my name and phone number on it. Her friend's name is Michelle, and I have not heard from her, but God has heard her name often in the last week. She has the phone number also of the Church of the Good Shepherd.

This week, I saw a woman come out to smoke a cigarette. She peeked at us through the lattice trim of the privacy fence. In obedience to God's call to talk to her, sowing the seed abundantly, I went around to the sidewalk and called to her, offering her a flyer with abortion/unborn children information on it. She refused my offer, claiming her right to smoke her cigarette in peace. I asked if she was here for an appointment. She said that she brought her daughter here, and she did not want to talk to me. I offered her information about salvation and forgiveness of sin. She said that she is a Christian, and everyone has their own ideas about this. (traffic noises blurred what she said, and I was unclear on this.) I called her "Christian Mother" and called her to tell her daughter the truth that the baby in her womb was created in God's image and that to go through with this abortion would be to kill a child. She said something that I quite frankly could not make out, and I called her not to deny the gospel or to stand in disobedience to the clear teaching of her Saviour, Jesus Christ. She told me that she didn't want to talk to me, and to go away. I asked her daughter's name, so I could pray for her, and she refused.

A man in a pick up truck had been there since before eight 'clock, but was either sleeping, or ignored my attempts to get his attention.

Back in the alley, we prayed for them. Josh prayed for them.

Soon, I suddenly became aware of a black man standing by a white car. With surprizing boldness and comfort, I toward him and asked him if he was there with someone. He told me he wasn't pregnant, but was there with a friend. He brought his friend there, and yes, his friend was going to get an abortion. I asked him if this was his baby. He said yes. I offered him a flyer and asked his name. His name is Joseph. His friend's name is Amanda.

I don't know why (didn't think of it until this minute) I didn't ask him how old the baby is. I didn't say that I thought the baby would have his eyes.

I asked him if I could pray for him. He came over and let me put my hand on him and I prayed for him and Amanda. He got back in his car (passenger side) and I returned to my fellow Christians. We prayed for Joseph and Amanda.

Later, a blond came out and got in the car with him on the driver's side. They were in the car for a long time. Then she got out and went into the building. Someone said that she was crying. I went around to the front of the car and motioned for Joseph to come out. He was talking on a cell phone. I asked him if I could give him my phone number. I told him that Amanda would need someone to talk to soon. He gave me the flyer I had given him, and I wrote my name and phone number on it.

...And then, God answered our prayer:

Soon, the mother and her teenage daughter came out. Glen said, "We'll pray for you!" and the mother threw her arms up and said, "She didn't go through with it." We immediately began to praise God. I went a gave her my phone number on a flyer, (I accidentally stepped on Planned Parenthood property in my excitement) and told her that we would help her in any way we could and that she or her daughter was free to call me any time. I gave her a hardy hug and they drove away. The girl was slumped in the car with a paper of some kind covering her face. We do not know the details, but we know that God answered our prayers, and showed us His power and glory today!

Come let us worship the Lord together, for He is worthy, holy and powerful!

And then, I became aware that I had been in the presense of this God! I was, as Isaiah and Peter, and many others before me, undone. I was amazed and excited, yes, but incredibly frightened. This is not a comfortable place to be.