Have you not heard?
Tonight was an eye-opening Wednesday for me. Church & serving in our kids ministy, like always. We have 2nd grade-5th grade all in the same class together. In our kids service we begin with worship. I'll be honest though, my heart is not always ready to worship on a Wednesday night. From getting lessons ready, to feeding my own kids, keeping other kids from running around crazy, and just regular exhaustion from being with kids all day at school...my heart is not always lined up and ready to truly praise God.
Tonight was no different than normal until I realized something very imporant. We were in the middle of singing a song and I was sitting behind the desktop monitor where we control the music. I sat there slumped in my seat..looking around making sure everyone was singing and paying attention. A couple of boys were talking and I prompted them to focus, be reverant, and worship. I sat back down, again, slumped in my chair. God immediately spoke to me, "Get Up!". So after thinking for a few seconds I stood up and walked up to where the kids were. As I began to sing I closed my eyes. What I heard penetrated past my exhaustion...right past my frustration of maintaining order amoung the kids..and right past everything that got in the way of my worship. What I heard were the voices of sweet, sweet children..angels even.. The purest form of praise. They sang with all of their hearts and pierced right through mine. "AS WE CALL OUT TO DRY BONES COME ALIVE..COME ALIVE..AS WE CALL OUT TO DEAD HEARTS COME ALIVE..COME ALIVE.."
God immediately spoke to my dead heart as tears streamed down my face. I felt as if even if I were to fall on my knees that wouldn't let me be low enough. I raised my head towards heaven and bowed my heart. I kept my eyes closed and tuned into the voices I could pick out and individually hear. I cannot adequateldy describe the way my heart felt and feels every.single.time I hear them sing like that. Tonight was different though.
You see, as a person who ministers to kids, it can quickly become exhausting. Ya'll know kids. Kids are alot. I have two of my own and claim 21 from school and many more at church. I love them. I live for being an instrumental part of ministering to them in their daily lives! But it is not easy. . .It always helps when your heart is in the right place and you are serving Jesus.
[Keyword: J E S U S]
I serve Him. I do not serve the kids. Serving Him, by way of kids ministry...but never serving the ministry. Not serving my pastors. Not serving my church. Serving HIM! I had honestly forgot who I was serving..
TONIGHT I was reminded of that. How BLESSED and fortunate I am to have the greatest pleasure and honor to serve Him by ministering to children. Tonight they fully ministered to me though. Hearing them sing and worship so purely stitched back places of my heart that needed mending. Places that were growing weary...
TONIGHT God said THIS is what it's about. Pointing to ME! Point these children to ME! Don't tell them how...SHOW them. Don't ask them to sing..sing that they would join in with you! Don't encourage them to read their Bibles...open and declare my word over their lives!
And that is exactly what I did.
Though life and ministry life may grow weary and the mundane sets in...remember WHY you serve and WHO you serve. . .
From now on..no matter how many times I have to remind myself..I will close my eyes and hear those babies singing in the back of my mind. I will feel humbled knowing God has shown His favor on me in my life allowing me to experience His goodness through the eyes (and voice) of a child.
TONIGHT I was the "DRY BONES" that needed life. Those kids spoke life into me and they don't even have a clue. Same goes for you...who is being blessed JUST from you speaking life and worshipping God the way you ought to? Think on that..
So tonight I leave you with this. The book of Isaiah has a well known verse in a popular chapter. When I think of this verse I think about my ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE..."REMEMBER THE TITANS"..I can hear "Rev" singing ... 🎶We will soar on wings like eagles...like eagles yall like EAGLES YALL...🎶
So here it is...read these verses and remember WHO we serve...Serving people gets old. Serving for an end result gets old. Serving for self-satisfaction gets old. Serving GOD and walking in HIS strength will NEVER get old!
Isaiah Chapter 40:28-31
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Tonight was no different than normal until I realized something very imporant. We were in the middle of singing a song and I was sitting behind the desktop monitor where we control the music. I sat there slumped in my seat..looking around making sure everyone was singing and paying attention. A couple of boys were talking and I prompted them to focus, be reverant, and worship. I sat back down, again, slumped in my chair. God immediately spoke to me, "Get Up!". So after thinking for a few seconds I stood up and walked up to where the kids were. As I began to sing I closed my eyes. What I heard penetrated past my exhaustion...right past my frustration of maintaining order amoung the kids..and right past everything that got in the way of my worship. What I heard were the voices of sweet, sweet children..angels even.. The purest form of praise. They sang with all of their hearts and pierced right through mine. "AS WE CALL OUT TO DRY BONES COME ALIVE..COME ALIVE..AS WE CALL OUT TO DEAD HEARTS COME ALIVE..COME ALIVE.."
God immediately spoke to my dead heart as tears streamed down my face. I felt as if even if I were to fall on my knees that wouldn't let me be low enough. I raised my head towards heaven and bowed my heart. I kept my eyes closed and tuned into the voices I could pick out and individually hear. I cannot adequateldy describe the way my heart felt and feels every.single.time I hear them sing like that. Tonight was different though.
You see, as a person who ministers to kids, it can quickly become exhausting. Ya'll know kids. Kids are alot. I have two of my own and claim 21 from school and many more at church. I love them. I live for being an instrumental part of ministering to them in their daily lives! But it is not easy. . .It always helps when your heart is in the right place and you are serving Jesus.
[Keyword: J E S U S]
I serve Him. I do not serve the kids. Serving Him, by way of kids ministry...but never serving the ministry. Not serving my pastors. Not serving my church. Serving HIM! I had honestly forgot who I was serving..
TONIGHT I was reminded of that. How BLESSED and fortunate I am to have the greatest pleasure and honor to serve Him by ministering to children. Tonight they fully ministered to me though. Hearing them sing and worship so purely stitched back places of my heart that needed mending. Places that were growing weary...
TONIGHT God said THIS is what it's about. Pointing to ME! Point these children to ME! Don't tell them how...SHOW them. Don't ask them to sing..sing that they would join in with you! Don't encourage them to read their Bibles...open and declare my word over their lives!
And that is exactly what I did.
Though life and ministry life may grow weary and the mundane sets in...remember WHY you serve and WHO you serve. . .
From now on..no matter how many times I have to remind myself..I will close my eyes and hear those babies singing in the back of my mind. I will feel humbled knowing God has shown His favor on me in my life allowing me to experience His goodness through the eyes (and voice) of a child.
TONIGHT I was the "DRY BONES" that needed life. Those kids spoke life into me and they don't even have a clue. Same goes for you...who is being blessed JUST from you speaking life and worshipping God the way you ought to? Think on that..
So tonight I leave you with this. The book of Isaiah has a well known verse in a popular chapter. When I think of this verse I think about my ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE..."REMEMBER THE TITANS"..I can hear "Rev" singing ... 🎶We will soar on wings like eagles...like eagles yall like EAGLES YALL...🎶
So here it is...read these verses and remember WHO we serve...Serving people gets old. Serving for an end result gets old. Serving for self-satisfaction gets old. Serving GOD and walking in HIS strength will NEVER get old!
Isaiah Chapter 40:28-31
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
P.s. now you can't say that you have not heard. Don't let it stop with you. Encourage a friend who serves. Blow some wind in their ministry sails today and speak life!
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| The sweetest view you can ever have. Watching kids of all ages praise the Lord! |
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