“Everybody out!”
The fire alarm shrieked.
There in the open car park, the building purged itself.
A young woman and I, clearly the only non-Africans, found our way to each other. Drawn to each other’s eyes, our spirits were joined by heartaches, uncertainties, the waiting on a future impossible to nail down because we’d laid it down for God to bring us on His adventure.
At lunch, tears streamed from her olive-green eyes down her cheeks, as she thanked me for being “God’s messenger and angel” to her, even though we had only just met. I could pray, prophesy, speak over her life- only because of the many tears I’d shed before in the field.
It reminded me of something I’d read in Dr. Brian Bailey’s books- that our lives are but olives, and the pain we go through is the crushing that brings forth the fragrance of sweet oil that ministers to others. Our pain, becomes our anointing.
A pastor shared this with me last night-“In 2 Sam 24:24, when King David was offered a field for no charge at all, he said that he would not offer up to the Lord that which cost him nothing. This sacrifice you are giving to the Lord is very costly, maybe it costs more than you ever expected. But that makes it a sweet savor unto the Lord.”
I watch my children watching the videos I record for them from afar, my heart bursting with hurt because they can’t sit still to zoom. I scroll through photos of them, with tears in my eyes. And I remind myself- He sees that.
On which that costs us something, like the threshing floor which cost David 50 shekels of silver, is where we, like him, build our altars. And it is there where the Lord does a work in our lives. If you are hurting, begging for relief from the crushing, know this- that the Lord sees your pain.
As I prayed for this beautiful Irish woman, I’d a vision of God’s hand reaching deep into her being, holding her heart and bringing it to His. I believe the same for us. He holds our hurting hearts, oh so close to His.
