The Last To Know?

When our time with God does something to us that becomes evident to others, are we the last to know? I truly agonized over yesterday’s sermon from John 6:60-69 (22-69) while preparing it, spending more hours on my knees seeking shelter and relief from God than for any other sermon I can remember. Yet, when it came time to preach it, the anxiety and even fear of not communicating clearly was mostly absent. What had been prepared and even rehearsed was preached.

I did not “feel” any different from the hundreds of other times I have preached yet comments received by individuals in each service convinced me that God had spoken powerfully to those who were listening for His voice. The ones making the comments gave glory to God while commenting about what had been preached. I was very relieved and glad when they told me because I had no idea, only the hope that God had answered my prayers with His undeniable and powerful presence.

You might think that the person God uses would always know how powerfully (or weakly) His presence is evident in that person’s life. But God reminded me this is often not the case as He called to mind Moses in Exodus 34:29 as well as Peter and John in Acts 4:13. Apparently, even though everyone else took notice, it was enough for Moses and the two disciples that they were following God.

May that be enough for me!

Exodus 34:29-35 (ESV)

The Shining Face of Moses

 ²⁹When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

Acts 4:13 (ESV)

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.