My tender, loving Father

I drove to church yesterday feeling very convicted about how I've been spending my time. God has been showing me a lot of junk in my heart lately: pride, laziness, not believing him, loving stuff in this world, ect, and it was kind of discouraging. At the same time, I could feel his Spirit humbling me, and just the thought that He cared enough to discipline me made me feel His tenderness and love. :)

I went early to meet and pray with a friend, and as we were confessing to each other, all that God had been showing me came out in sharp focus. But it felt lighter, especially as we prayed for each other and gave our junk to God.

As we went in to worship, I could feel myself withdrawing a little from His Grace, as if I still felt dirty from the things in my heart that He'd shown me. I am so mollasses-slow sometimes to just RECEIVE the grace of my Father!

But God spoke directly to those feelings of inadequacy. In my church, we have a microphone set up in the back of the room where anyone who wants to pray aloud or share something that God impresses on their hearts can do so in the pauses between songs. Several people got up and praised him, and then a girl began to pray in a language I couldn't understand. It took a moment to see that it wasn't Spanish or some other language and to realize that she had been speaking in tongues.

In the three months I've been going to this church, no one has spoken in tongues during the service, though I knew people who did privately. Aside from my time overseas, I had never seen tongues spoken in a Biblical way, with interpretation and with a humble attitude. I stood there, wondering how the pastors would handle it.

There was a pause after she had finished, and then the worship leader said, "A tongue has been spoken. Does anyone have the interpretation?" God, I prayed, please give someone an interpretation. Another pause. Then a young man said , "God wants you to know that you are precious to him, that He delights in his children, and that He is listening."

What a tender message from God! Praise to God that he cared enough to remind us of his intimate delight in us, no matter what junk is in our hearts! While we were sinners, Christ died for us.