It was our first women’s prayer retreat
about three years ago. Our small group
of six ladies gathered in a private home near Boulder, Colorado. The home situated on a little knoll with
breathtaking views of the valley, and the Rocky Mountains in the distance.
In the living room stood
a large stone fireplace, and tall picture windows that looked out to the
prairie and the mountains. It was
picture-perfect for the peaceful retreat.
Our weekend, designed to
be calm and all geared for prayer, had been planned for months. Intentionally directed to empower all of us
for the journey that God had pointed out.
Geared and intentional towards allowing the Holy Spirit in.
Allowing God in – ALL
IN. Opening our hearts, we chose that
weekend to allow God into our presence. To
allow God to do what He must.
There were just a few of
us gathered, and, we had faith that God was with us. We expected to get to know
the requests and journey of each other and praying and growing together. We expected to lean and learn on each other
and on God. We expected.
We had spent over half
the day in the Word of God, listening to the words He had for us from the Bible
and from each other as we spoke what God had laid on our hearts. Later in the afternoon on Sabbath, we
submitted our prayers, our dreams, our journey that we felt God was leading
us. We needed prayers.
Kneeling in a circle
together, each of us was given the opportunity to be in the middle of the
circle. The other women laying hands on
us as they prayed specifically for the journey that God had ahead of for us.
As each of us would kneel
in the circle, we witnessed the clouds becoming more intense and the weather
changing. The clouds coming over the
mountains were uniquely defined. That is not something new for that area of
Colorado.
The wind started howling
as we prayed. Prayers in our circle and
the laying of hands continued as did the gale force winds. The trees were violently swaying from side to
side. We could hear the picture windows
groaning.
As we prayed, I believe
that the Holy Spirit showed up. That
statement is not to be taken lightly.
The wind surrounded us. We could hear and see the manifestation of the
wind with the trees being whipped around. We witnessed the evidence of the Holy
Spirit.
Winds sustained as did our
prayers. The house groaned under the intense attack of the Mighty Wind. We felt His presence.
Peace filled me.
The final amen said, and
we knelt there with eyes closed listening to the wind. Continuing to allow the Holy Spirit “IN”
completely. We did not fear, quite the opposite. We knelt in amazement.
I tell this true story because
I wanted to let you know that when we invited the Holy Spirit in – He showed up. Not only did He show up, He went beyond our
wildest imagination.
If we allow Him, He will
come IN and fill us. It is not a
one-time event. It is an event that
every moment of every day, we must be intentional about. Intentional about living revival. It might
not be a Mighty Wind. In fact, it might sound like a still small voice.
“God can do anything, you know – far more than you
could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! Ephesians 3:20
I am not saying, at all,
that life will be perfect, and that the storms of life won’t happen. Life is hard, and sometimes the waves crash
over us. There are days where the stresses
of life seem to overwhelm us. The
busyness of the day clouds our view, or the opposite happens, and doldrums of
the rut we find ourselves, appear to be all we see.
In Christ, we know that
we will be able to see past all of that.
In the middle of that crazy storm, Jesus is there. In the middle of that rut, Jesus is there and
will turn our world upside down. If we allow Him
My prayer for each of you
is that you are filled with the Holy Spirit and that the eyes of your heart are
opened to see and to understand that, if we allow, God can do more than our
wildest dreams.
I love that verse in
Ephesians. The way Eugene Peterson words
it in the Message brings Ephesians 3:20 to life in a different way for me. The verse adds an exclamation for me.
“God can do anything, you
know—Far more than you could ever Imagine or guess or request in your wildest
dream!” He ends the statement with an
EXCLAMATION POINT!
I must admit, I have a
great imagination. What this verse tells
me, is that God can do more than I can think up in my imagination. God is bursting with possibilities that He
wants to show us. What does God want to
show us?
Will you join me in
allowing God in, and see what happens?
Get ready, Get Set. GO,
LORD GOD. Fill us up and exceed our
wildest imagination!!!! We allow You In!
Abba Father,
I pray that You descend
upon us like a Mighty Wind. You have
promised that You can do anything, and we are walking in that Truth! Show us what you can do, if we allow you
to. Open the eyes of our hearts and fill
us with your Spirit. Thank you for the
promises that You show us through Your WORD.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
By Laura Maxson