|
BOXES
AND BOUNDARIES
2/24/99
Hi loved
ones,
Have you
ever gone to church and had your worship leader show up
in a box? No, I literally mean a BOX. The first Sunday
of 1999 they started the music, and waddling from the
back is this giant 6½ foot box. Two arms are sticking
out of the side, holding a guitar. Two feet are flapping
at the bottom, like a duck. Now this
walking/talking/singing box had a point and it was that
the Lord was not sending superstars but He was sending
the no-name-faceless people to the world with His good
news. We laughed all the way through worship, but the
point was made and it’s one of those things that after
seeing, you never forget.
Finally
it got too hot under there, and with help, he took off
the box. When I saw him do this, the Lord reminded me of
something He had previously whispered: "It’s time to
stretch forth your tent stakes." I was reminded of the
scripture, "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them
stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not
spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes."
(Isaiah 54:2) This concept has to do with God stretching
our boundaries. The best way I can describe this is,
"It’s time to break out of our boxes."
I saw
this concept demonstrated by our pastor during last
week’s sermon. He brought 2 sticks. The first was a 12
inch ruler, the second was a 36 inch yard stick. All the
way through his sermon, he kept asking the question,
"How big is your stick?"
It’s
only been 8 weeks since the beginning of this year, and
I have seen the people in our church bust their boxes in
so many ways we have not been able to keep up with the
comings and goings. People are experiencing things in
the Lord they have never experienced before. We are
seeing issues that people have dealt with or waited upon
the Lord for years, suddenly break forth with tiny steps
into new freedom. Many of these stretches are breaking
mindsets and fears. Other stretches are healings and
open doors for ministry opportunities. Some are
recovering lost ground from the past by identifying the
origins of physical, spiritual and emotional yokes.
Right
now, we have a window of opportunity, a door of grace
extended to us to move forward and take new ground, if
we are willing to trust the Lord and stretch ourselves.
In spite of dark clouds in the horizon, today I am
seeing sun beams pierce the clouds with hope, help, and
grace. It has been prophesied that what we do with this
year is so important that it will determine our whole
future — as a nation, as a church, as a family, as an
individual. There are many ways God can break our boxes,
and we will probably see most of them in the coming
future. However, at this moment in time, I see the Lord
extending His hand, reaching through our fears and
saying, "Stretch yourself. Come out of your box. Be
willing to take a chance. Trust Me. Let go of the
bondage. Loose the restraint. Break your boundaries.
Reach. Take this window of grace and use every last drop
of it while it is yet open. GO FOR IT."
Lovingly,
Sandy
|
