The Tie

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18

Saturday, June 20, 2015 I was invited to take part in a prayer service in Charleston, SC. It was led by the pastors of the city in the wake of the shooting deaths of nine people the previous Wednesday night.

South Carolina Pastor Brad Atkins and I arrived in Charleston on Thursday to represent The American Renewal Project and to pray with pastors and people impacted by the tragic deaths of the pastors and parishioners at Mother Emmanuel A.M.E. Church.

This was a return trip to Charleston for us. We had taken part in The Response South Carolina prayer event just a few days before the shootings. Over 4,000 people, led by Doug Stringer, had gathered together across denominational, generational and racial lines to pray for a nation in crisis. It was a powerful six hours.

The Response USA is a ministry of The American Renewal Project. These prayer events are scheduled when a state governor is impressed to call for prayer on behalf of a nation in crisis. The original plan for the SC event called for it to be held in the cities of Columbia or Greenville. Since adequate facilities were not available, it was decided to hold it in Charleston. Hindsight provides the insight to see why God’s hand guided this prayer event to Charleston four days before the tragedy. There could not have been a more strategic location for it.

I was particularly appreciative of Apostle Herman R. Robinson’s invitation to take part in the Saturday prayer gathering, one week after The Response: SC. His meeting had been on the calendar for over a year. Including us in the program was a generous gesture on his part. It was an equal measure of Christian, and Southern hospitality. Brad and I were honored. Thank you, pastor.

The prayer meeting took place on the highest point of the city, a 14-story hotel overlooking downtown Charleston. The beautiful skyline, marked by the spires of some of the oldest churches in America, has earned Charleston, the nickname of “The Holy City.” Church steeples are designed as symbols of praying hands pointing the eyes of the people towards Heaven. This week substance triumphed over symbolism as pastors of Charleston called their people to pray.

For four hours 120 pastors and spouses gathered for prayer, sharpening and swinging the church’s world-class weapon in battle against an ancient evil. In the hands of men and women of God, this weapon is a powerful force. Intercessory prayer puts the enemy on the defensive by calling on the name of Jesus. The enemy fears the sound of God’s children calling on the name of His Son. When Jesus takes the field, Satan flees.

“The one concern of the devil is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work or prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick

The pastors of Charleston have responded to their local tragedy, and they have led the way for a nation in crisis, pointing the way back to God. With God’s grace they have turned to prayer and forgiveness, rather than anger and rioting. Secular news channels are describing prayer meetings breaking out all over the country. This may be the beginning of the next Great Awakening. Time will tell.

Great Awakenings have all been preceded by passionate, prevailing prayer. There is no substitute for answered prayer. People who prevail in prayer breathe in the air of desperation, and breathe out the prayer of intercession. Genuine intercession is driven by brokenhearted desperation.

Prevailing prayer is not a devotional exercise. It is war. The art of Spiritual Warfare, delivers a powerful weapon of war into the heart of the enemy on every battlefield. The enemies of God refuse to leave ground they have taken without a fight. Jesus is The Light. Prayer calls on Him to take the fight to the enemy, putting the forces of darkness to flight.

“The prayer that prevails is not the work of lips and fingertips. It is the cry of a broken heart and the travail of a stricken soul.” Samuel Chadwick

As I was leaving the prayer meeting, I approached Brother Robinson and asked him if he was familiar with the old Baptist hymn that carries the message, “Blessed be the tie that binds.”

When he assured me he knew it well. I took off my tie, and gave it to him. I told him, I considered tonight a special occasion in my life. His hospitality called for a personal response. I told him to take my tie as a gift, and to be assured that I would be praying for him daily, especially when he stepped into the pulpit to preach. I told him I was not alone, and that thousands of pastors affiliated with The American Renewal Project would be praying for him and the pastors of this city. Sunday morning as I was boarding a plane to return home to Texas, the pastor texted me and told me he was entering the pulpit to preach, and was wearing my tie. “Blessed be the tie that binds,” indeed.

“Blessed be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.” John Fawcett

Pray for Charleston, but don’t forget to pray for your own church, city and community. The same enemy that attacked a small prayer meeting in Charleston seeks to steal, kill and destroy all that is precious to you. Don’t think that removing guns from the public square will save your church from attack. A million victims killed with machetes in Rwanda should be enough stark, historical evidence of evil’s willingness to use any means of death available to it. In the beginning, all Cain needed was a rock. Evil doesn’t need any more than that.

From my father’s deathbed he shared these words with me, “Prayer is the treasure. Prayer is the threshold of Heaven. Awakening is only a breath away. It can come in the next moment. PASS IT ON! PASS IT ON! PASS IT ON!”

Note to self: Don’t waste the blood of the Charleston victims or be frivolous with your grief. Invest your prayers. The treasure of prayer has been inspired by their deaths. Now invest them. Call out to God for what this nation needs most, but deserves the least, His mercy. With His mercy, Awakening is sure to follow. Pass it on!

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Truth

“Stand beside your burn offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” Numbers 23: 3

In the pantheon of Old Testament prophets, Balaam is remembered more for his talking donkey than for his prayer life with God. He was hired by Balak to put a curse on the people of Israel. As mercenary as Balaam’s motives may have been, God condescended to meet with him. This is a gentle biblical reminder to all those who want to make prayer so sacred that no one is qualified to do it.

“Now God met Balaam…” V.  4

When Balaam met with God, he received a word of blessing for the people Balak wanted him to curse. Any preacher can tell you that telling a congregation what they don’t want to hear rarely improves the love offering or secures a pay raise. Balaam may have been a postman for hire, but he delivered the mail. This was no talking donkey. He was a man speaking for God.

“Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth…” V. 5

Balak protested the blessing Balaam spoke over the people of God. The prophet gave the only defense a preacher can have. Over the past 40 years, the truth of this passage of Scripture has served me well. Preachers in the contemporary church would be wise to rediscover the power and the protection that is contained in it.

“Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” V. 12

Balaam may have been a prophet for hire, but when it came right down to the chain of command, he knew he worked for God. Preachers who believe they are the lowest link on the food chain would be wise to remember the same thing.

Balaam called on Balak to build seven altars and make a tremendous sacrifice. Balak put skin in the game, but Balaam put his life on the line. He turned his back on Balak and turned his face towards God.

Turning towards God, as the source for the solution is the fundamental key to finding His will through answered prayer.

Talking about the problem with people often postpones the answer. There must come a point in time when getting with Sovereign God takes priority over belaboring a discussion with helpless people.

People pleasing platitudes are a poor substitute for prophetic preaching. Balaam proved to be an honest broker by turning his back on financial reward and praying his way into The Presence of God. Praying preachers are the greatest need in the world today. With them there is hope for a Great Awakening. Without them the church will never be mobilized to pray for it.

“Stand by your burnt offering while I myself meet the LORD over there.” V. 15

It wasn’t until Balaam met with God that he received a word from God. Preachers who speak for God, without spending time with God are some of the most dangerous people in the world.

They develop the unwise habit of turning every a good idea they have into God’s idea. Speaking for God without spending time with God may produce an eloquent message, but it will never provide God’s sense of direction.

“Then the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth…” V. 16

Once again, Balak protested when Balaam reported after His encounter with God, “Behold, I have received a command to bless. When He has blessed then I cannot revoke it…The LORD his God is with him…Behold a people rises like a lioness.” V. 20-24

While living in East Africa I was surprised to learn that the lioness does a great deal of the hunting, and most of her hunting is done at night. Driving my Land Rover through a game reserve, it was not unusual for me to see lionesses sleeping after a long night of prowling and devouring fresh prey. Sleeping lionesses are no real danger. Rising lionesses are prepared to hunt.

Balaam’s words warned Balak he was facing people who were rising up under the blessing of God. What an awesome word-picture.

A prayerful perspective is essential to assess the balance of power in world increasing hostile to the people of God. Balaam was praying to God. Balak was preying on the people of God. God saw Balak as the prey of His people.  The contemporary church would do well to stop acting like a victim hiding in the tall grass, and simple rise up and do what they were born to do.

Prophetic preachers should be the clearest role models of immediate obedience, and the greatest enemies of political correctness the world has ever seen. Balaam cut himself off from his meal ticket to tell Balak the truth. It was the wisest move he ever made. Wise men still tell the truth. Fools don’t.

“Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD speaks, that I must do’?” v. 26

NOTE TO SELF: You are not a hireling. You were called to preach the truth, not to do the bidding of those who think they pay your salary. When you rise up from the tall grass, you will come into conflict with those in the church and outside of the church who do not want to hear a clear message from The Word of God. Preach it any way. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Journey

“We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He my remove the serpents from us. And Moses interceded for the people.” Numbers 21:7

2015 is the year the drought in Texas officially ended. In the DFW area we have had more rain in five months than we had all of last year. In the middle of the most recent drought, Gov. Rick Perry called for people to pray for rain. The son of a Texas dry land farmer, he knew from experience, God answers prayer. The outcry to his request was equal parts ridicule from the press, and petition from God’s people Now, Texans are complaining of the flooding. I guess we can stop praying for rain. Thank you Governor for calling for prayer. Thank you God for the rain!

In Numbers, the people were chronic complainers. The stinking thinking that stewed in their minds spewed out of their foul mouths. They cursed God and Moses for bringing them into The Wilderness, and accused them of attempted genocide. 

There is no logic to their argument. Like petulant children they chafed under the hand of authority. If Moses had wanted to see them dead, he would have just stopped praying of them. If God had wanted His people to be annihilated, all He had to do was leave them in Egypt. Complaining about God and His leaders reveals a rebel’s heart.

The Journey from slavery to the Land of Promise was wearisome. It was made more difficult by the worrisome whining of ungrateful people whose memories were as short as their tempers. Refusing to remember God’s deliverance they chose to rebel against His sovereignty.  Many times God had delivered the people. Often Moses had interceded for them. Still, they grew impatient with the pace, and the apparent lack of progress in The Journey. This only happens…EVERY TIME.

“The people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food or water and we loathe this miserable food.’ “  V.5

This time God moved in response to the complaints of the people by sending to them a visible image of their sin. The poison serpents He sent into the camp were His personal assessment of all their constant complaining. They were guilty of injecting poisonous venom into the body politic. By doing so, they were attempting to dethrone God by undermining His leader. 

The people knew they were in trouble, so once again they ran to Moses and cried out for him to intercede for them.  The admitting of sin is not the same as repentance of sin. A crook may admit he got caught, but his confession does not mean he intends to turn his life in a new direction. He merely bides his time until he has an opportunity to steal again. The same can be said of any sinner.  Repentance is not revealed, by a sad face. Repentance is an about face.

God intended the people to face their sin, and then make an about face from it. Victims of the snakes were told to look to the bronze snake Moses held up in front of them, and they would not die.

This deliverance from the poisonous snakes was an answer to prayer, but it was most certainly not what the poisonous people had in mind.  God is not only interested in giving His people direction and protection. He intends to bring correction.  The Journey is marked by many “U-Turn” signs. Don’t ignore them.

“It came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.” V. 9

NOTE TO SELF: Leaders are often ridiculed, and mocked for not meeting the expectations of the people. They are in good company. Complaining people resist and resent God’s direction, protection, and correction. The leader just happens to be in the line of fire because they are standing next to The Champion. Sin has consequences that require not only an admission of personal responsibility, but also an acceptance of personal accountability.  Looking to the bronze serpent revealed a willingness on the part of the people to own their sin. Excusing and justifying sin is not an expression of genuine repentance. They reveal continued rebellion. Praying for deliverance without any intention of turning in a new direction makes a mockery of prayer, and repentance. Turnaround!

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! 

The Offense

“Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, ‘Do not regard their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.’ “ Numbers 16:15

Moses directed his anger at a spirit of rebellion that was gnawing at the soul of the people of Israel. Like a flesh eating cancer, rebellion was destroying the body life of the camp.

Korah’s rebellion was generated by his desire to take the place of Moses. He considered himself well equipped to usurp the God-given leadership roles of Moses and Aaron.

Self-righteous, prideful posers won’t humble themselves. They crave to be in authority, but refuse to be under authority. They always steal what they want from God-ordained leaders. They do it under the guise of protecting the rights of the oppressed majority. By manipulating the emotions of those they claim to represent, they try to build a sympathetic following.

“You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” V. 3

Never forget this. Rebellion is all about the rights of the rebel, not the rights others. Pious posers may speak softly, and smile at your face, but they intend to get their way by going behind your back.

When Moses was accused of leading the people of Israel in the wrong direction, his first reaction was to fall on his face before God. His anger was not just driven by a desire to be vindicated. It was a call for the worship of the rebellious to be invalidated.

“Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even the one whom He will choose, He will bring near Himself.” V. 5

As personal as the attack was, Moses chose not to dwell on the personal nature of it. Moses recognized rebellion for what it truly was, and what it always is. Rebellion is an end run around God, using God-given leaders as speed bumps.

Moses said to Korah, “Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD; ” V. 11

Moses was attacked because he had not met the expectations of people who were unsatisfied with the provision and Presence of God. The last straw for Moses was the unwillingness of those under the influence of Korah’s rebellion, to step up and to seek a righteous remedy. They complained,

“You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey.” V. 14

There is no way a leader can ever provide satisfaction to those who are discontent with God’s leadership, and companionship. Just because Moses chose not to take offense over the rebellions remarks directed towards him does not mean the comments were not offensive. He did the best thing a leader can do under the circumstances. He took the offensive attacks to God, and trusted Him to sort it out.  He always does.

“And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly. But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?’ “ V. 22

It was the intercession of Moses and Aaron that moved God to measure His wrath towards the rebellious. Make no mistake about it. God measured His wrath, but He drew the line at associating with the rebellious behavior of unrepentant rebels.

“Depart now from the tents of these wicked men,…or you will be swept away by their sin.” V. 26

After the earth swallowed up the dwellings of the rebels, “Fire also came forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.” V. 35

God’s measured wrath did not end the rebellion. The very next day the murmuring began, and God’s correction continued.  

 “But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people.’ “ V. 41

NOTE TO SELF: Pray for God’s mercy, but pray for people to repent. Never pray to postpone God’s righteous correction. It may very well bring about repentance.  Pray for God’s mercy, but pray for genuine repentance on the part of the people of God.

Moses took His anger to the LORD in prayer. Just because you choose not to take offense does not mean something was not offensive. Tell it to Jesus.  Interceding is not whining. Prayer releases the offense, and leaves it in the hands of God. Don’t ignore or protect rebellious people. Call them to repentance. If they don’t’ turn to Him, turn from them.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Message

“Keep watching and praying…” Jesus – Matthew 26:41

Today marks my Dad’s first Sunday in Heaven. Don Miller was a churchman to the core. Long before it was cool to say it, Dad believed the local church was the hope of the world. It still is.

From 1946-1977 Dad pastored Liberty Hill Baptist Church of Eddy, Texas, First Baptist Church of Wilmer, Texas, Forney Ave. Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, Farmingdale Baptist Church of Farmingdale, New York, East Dallas Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and North Shore Baptist Church of Kings Park, New York.

In every setting God placed him, Dad bloomed where he was planted, making a powerful impact on the lives of people. He was at home in a rural country church, a small town church, a blue-collar church, a transitional neighborhood church, and a metropolitan church setting. Dad’s message and ministry were marked by a passion for prayer. His personal intimacy with God fueled his fire for evangelism, and his heart for missions. His passion for both took him across the street and around the world.  

During the last week of Dad’s life, a window of opportunity opened up to ask once last time, “When did prayer move from being a personal devotion to your main passion in life?” Dad paused, letting the question soak in, and he pulled from deep within his soul the moment in time when God called him to step out on faith, to leave a thriving pastorate, and to begin Bible Based Ministries. “The Don Miller Prayer Conference,” was not a good idea. It was God’s idea. Big difference.

God turned prayer into a powerful message in Dad’s life, through a near death experience. In 1975 following emergency surgery resulting in the loss of his colon, Dad developed peritonitis. This required another emergency surgery to repair the damage done by the infection. With three crude colostomies, a year long recovery process, and two more serious surgeries. Dad’s weakened condition kept him out of the pulpit until February 1976. His powerful body withered to 90 pounds and his booming voice became a whisper. It looked liked his days of preaching were over.

Dad recalled, “When they took the colon out, I felt so empty. I felt nobody knew how I felt. A warrior always needs to be ready. I began to call out to God in the darkness, ‘Now what, Lord!’  I don’t know when I first began to believe this, but as long as I can remember I have always believed, ‘God and I make a majority.’ As I slowly recovered I learned I was never alone and never without, when I was with Him. I can’t say I had a disciplined plan. I just followed God, and listened to His voice along the way. Somehow He led Momma and I to where we are. That God would take two people like Momma and I and melt us into one is indescribable.” Indeed, it is.

From 1977-2010, Dad and Mom travelled to every state in the Union, except two, The Dakotas. They conducted prayer conferences in over 1,000 churches, and circled the globe many times, fulfilling a personal call to missions. They ministered to missionaries and nations on every continent except South America. The closest Dad came was a prayer conference in Trinidad. Large or small, far or near, Dad was always on call to share the priority of prayer, and his passion for a Great Awakening.

Monday, April 20, 2015 was the last day I was able to clearly converse with Dad. His body was weak, but his vision was clear. He could see the answer to his most passionate and persistent prayer. He said with confidence, “I still believe we will see revival, and we will see people get in on it. Prayer, Peace, Power, we can have all three. I long to see the atmosphere of prayer that would cause strangers driving by the highway to pull over and get in on it. God did not create dirt. There needs to be that cleansing wave, a movement, when people see Him, hear Him, obey Him, and call Him. Prayer, peace, power, what a trio.”

I asked Dad, “What is peace?” He responded, “Peace is being right with God. When that happens anything can happen. You are on the vestibule of Heaven. Prayer, Peace, Power needs to return to the church. These three things are only found in praying churches. Some talk about it, but that is as far as they go. I have longed for this so much. Fire. Oh, to feel the fire of God. I have been to a few conventions, but 500 men on their knees in a prayer meeting, oh, that is what I long to see.  I have always wanted that for the United States of America. It starts with praying men. We have always had praying ladies, but the crying need is praying men. It needs to breath forth.”

At that point, Dad asked permission to read to me one last time what he called, “the greatest prayer package in the Bible.” He apologized for reading it again, saying, “I know I read this to you this morning, but I believe it bears repeating.” With that he read through Matthew’s account of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:36-46)

Turning in his bed, and leaning on his right elbow, Dad looked at me, and said, “Tell them prayer is the priority. My favorite song is, ‘He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.’ Just to belong to the Lord, Jesus Christ, Oh, my soul.  I want to pass it on. PASS IT ON. PASS IT ON. PASS IT ON.” I said with tears in my eyes, and with a raspy voice, “I will pass it on. I will pass it on. I will pass it on.” He said, “Good boy.”

Dad returned to the theme of his entire life, praying for the next Great Awakening. Prayer for him was not a syrupy sanctimony. It was war. He prayed for victory over evil and for a spiritual turnaround of his nation. He said, “What a day that will be when they do turn around, when there is awakening. There is possibility and potential of an awakening, O my yes. There are so many brilliant people beating their gums, but not praying. POTENTIAL. POTENTIAL. POTENTIAL. There is the potential of a Great Awakening in a moment, and within our lifetime. Awakening will be marked by people, who will want God more than anything or anybody. Oh, that they would believe. To believe is so strong. BELIEVE. BELIEVE. BELIEVE.”

To the very last Dad believed. “I believe I will live to see revival come.” I asked him, “What does revival look like?”

Dad said, “Rejoicing. Joy. Happiness. Unity. Oneness. Real revival begins with real worship. Everlasting life. Nothing stops. What a wonderful thought. What a wonderful comfort. What a wonderful possession.”

Dad’s final thoughts and prayers were focused on the next Great Awakening. The Message was clear. Prayer is the treasure, and the priority. There is potential in prayer. Prayer is the vestibule of Heaven. Awakening is a prayer away. Praying men lead the way to it, on their knees. Pass it on! Chiseled in stone on Dad’s grave marker are the words, “TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!”

 

The Threshold

Yesterday, April 22, 2015, my brother Ken called me with the news my Dad, Don Miller died at 5:32 PM. Dad was listening to the soft, soothing words of a great old song. “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling…Come Home!” Dad heard the voice of Jesus call him and he went home.

When my sister, Joy, put my mother on the phone, her gentle voice was weary, but so full of hope and relief. Mom said, “Dad’s safe at home. We have so much to be grateful for.” Scripture is so incredibly spot-on when it comes to this moment in life. “You will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” (I Thessalonians 4:13) Indeed, we don’t, but we do grieve.

Just seven days ago, Dad experienced a heart attack that accelerated his pace to the finish line of his earthly race. Ninety-three years had taken a toll on his frail body. He was already weakened by Stage IV kidney failure, and congestive heart failure complicated by a severely restricted aortic valve. Dad had fought the good fight, but this was the last round.

Following the massive damage from the heart attack, Dad’s health continued to deteriorate as he was moved from one care unit after another. From ER, CVICU, Palliative Care, and finally to Hospice Care, in each place he left a vapor trail of grace. He extended words of blessing and gratitude to all who cared for him, even when they were digging into his thin arms seeking veins that were shrinking or collapsing. His last nurse at the hospital told him, “You are a rock star.” He just smiled, and said, “Oh, I don’t know about that.” I told her, “The real truth is, Dad is a rock.” He has always been mine.

For the past seven days, Dad has been reaching towards a threshold, unseen by us, but very real to him. One night, after a particularly restless night in the Palliative Care unit of Baylor All-Saints, Dad awakened, and called my name. I stood over him, and heard him say, “You know I’ve almost conked off two or three times.” I told him we were all aware of his struggle. He said, “I have been reaching out to the threshold.” I asked him what he had seen. Dad calmly said, “I saw Him in all his glory and majesty, and I saw Momma and Dad waving at me.” I believe he did.

For the past week my brothers, Roger and Ken, and my sister Joy, have been walking with my mother, Libby, though the most difficult days of our lives. Mom has been caring for Dad, watching over him, holding his hand as he takes his last breaths on this side of Heaven.

For seventy years, Mom and Dad have held hands through an amazing journey that has taken them all over the world, and to over 1,000 churches in America, serving TWOgether as pastors, church planters, evangelists, and prayer warriors. Only Heaven truly knows the full extent of their ministry. One day this week, I was touched to see Dad turn to Mom and hear him say to her, “We have had a wonderful journey.” She softly said, “It has been wonderful.” Dad was truly amazed by their love for one another right up until the very end. True love not only waits. It lasts.

One day over a cup of coffee in hospice, Dad spoke of Momma one more time. “To think that God would take two little people like us and melt us together is indescribable. Oh, my soul!” One of Dad’s constant calls to us in his more lucid moments was, “Take care of Momma.” I was relieved to hear him say at some point during his last days, “Momma is going to be just fine.” I believe a voice, from another realm calmed his concern, and prepared him to let go and “Come home.” Thank you, Jesus.

All four of us, Roger, Gary, Joy and Ken have agreed that ministering to Dad during these last days has been one of the greatest privileges we have ever been given. It has been a painful process, but we would have hated to miss out on it. Those words are hard to say, difficult to believe, but true to the core.

Roger was with Dad in the early morning hours on Tuesday. When he saw Dad moving around in the bed. He asked, “Dad, where are you going?” Roger heard Dad’s final words, “Almost to Glory.” With that Dad fell into a coma and the final stage of his fight began. My brother Ken was with Dad when he took his last breath, and crossed over threshold and into Glory. He passed through a very thin veil separating “Almost Glory” and “His Glory.” Mom said it so well, “Dad is safe at home.” Indeed he is.

I can’t help but notice when Dad died it was 5:32 PM on a Wednesday evening. Perhaps Dad wanted to be on time for Prayer Meeting in Heaven. He always liked to be early.

This has been a holy week for us. Roger, Joy, Ken and I have tasted the bittersweet dregs of this experience in every sense of the word. The sense of holiness has not removed the great sense of loss or minimized the pain of the process for any of us, especially Mom.

At this point a question remains in my mind, “Now what?” Dad’s greatest longing was to see the next Great Awakening in his lifetime. He prayed for it daily, and there was hope in his heart for it up to the very last. He said, “Prayer is the vestibule of Heaven.” He believed, “Prayer is the priority, and the greatest treasure of the church. An Awakening, a great movement of God is available for the asking in our life time, and even in the next moment.” Will you join Dad in praying for it? Awakening is just a prayer away. Perhaps yours will be the tipping point. Please pray for it.

Thank you for praying for us during this past week. Dad always said when he was told people were praying for him, “I can feel them.” Now I know what he meant. Thank you, and thank God for showing us His mercy and grace this week. We have been fully covered by His Presence, and Dad is standing in His Presence. It is well.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Rebellion

“But now, I pray let the power of the LORD be great, just as You have declared, ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression;” Numbers 14:17-18

When Moses, Aaron Joshua and Caleb led the people to be a part of what God was doing they rebelled anyway and sought to murder their leaders. The murmuring majority of the body politic had gangrened into a gang of grumblers. This only happens, EVERY TIME.

“All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron…” Numbers 14:2

Majority rule is rarely right but is seldom in doubt. The majority will run over the truth, turn a leader into a speed-bump, and leap over God-given barriers to declare themselves the winner of any cultural or spiritual battle. When the majority flies off the cliff, they intend to stick the landing. Don’t follow them.

These four men were in the minority, but they were on God’s side. This is always the right side of history. The minority put the emphasis where it belongs. They knew they are on the right side of history, when it is HIS STORY. The majority got their way that day, but God saved the day for all of us who will follow His lead.

“The Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of the assembly of the congregation…” Numbers 14:5

When the people rebelled their leaders did not fall on their swords. Their leaders fell on their faces. They met aggression with intercession. They pleaded for The Presence of God to enter into the crisis of faith. They appealed to the people to feed their faith, not their fear, and to trust God.

Fear is always the fundamental issue when it comes to putting trust in God. The people feared the people in the land. They may have been freed from bondage in Egypt, but they still lived in the bondage of fear. They let the enemy overshadow The Presence of God. He had freed them from slavery, but they were afraid to trust Him for victory.

“”Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, do not fear them.’ But all the congregation said to stone them with stones.” V. 10

Rebellion has consequences. God will not ignore it at any level. From the personal to the national level, God meets it with a tight fist. God said to Moses, “I will smite them…” V. 12

Moses took God’s word to heart, and it broke his heart for the people. He pleaded with God for pardon. It was the one thing the rebels deserved the least, but it was the one thing they needed the most.

“Pardon, I pray the iniquity of the people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness,...”
V. 19

Answered prayer is the most redemptive power in the world. God answered the prayer of Moses. He did not destroy the rebels. He let them have their way. They would be forgiven of their rebellion. They would not die that day, but they would not be allowed to enter the land of promise. God cancelled their passports.

“So the Lord said, ‘I have pardoned them according to your word.’” V. 20
“They shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.” V. 23

The LORD has no tolerance for unrepentant rebellion. Those who put Him to the test ten times and disobeyed His voice were banished from entering the land He had promised. Rebellion requires a price and it isn’t cheap. Jesus paid it all.

NOTE TO SELF: You may lose count of the many times you have not listened to the voice of God. God does not. His records are clear. Keeping clear accounts with God requires keeping short accounts with Him. Prayer enables you to do both. Pray to The Father, in the name of The Son, seeking the soul-cleansing Presence of The Spirit not just to comfort you but to convict you of sin and to call you to repentance for your rebellion.

Prayerlessness is rebellion. It may not cost you your life. The heavy price is the loss of personal intimacy with The Father. When it is easier for you to disobey God, than it is for you to pray to God, you are in rebellion. Prayer connects you with the intercession of The Son, and the promise-birthing power of The Spirit. Trust God. Obey His voice.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Meek

“O God, heal her, I pray!” Numbers 12:13

The four walls of this passage contain sixteen verses that hold the key to understanding the heart of God, and interceding for your enemies. It is meekness, not weakness that fuels your passion to pray for your enemies.

Meekness is the strength of soul to speak for God no matter how many people may speak out against you, and no matter how close those people may be to you. In this case, the enemies of Moses were his brother and sister. This was sibling rivalry on steroids.

Miriam and Aaron were the leaders of the murmuring of the people. When prideful people think they know better than the leader, any excuse will do to slice the leader into pieces, and cut him down to size. They chose to attack his wife.

“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married.” V. 1

Miriam and Aaron suffered from the “close but no cigar” leadership syndrome. They were close to Moses. They just weren’t close enough to God. They were of the same family lineage as Moses, but they did not maintain the same level of intimacy Moses had with God.

Miriam and Aaron could lay claim to having great skills and prophetic insight. They lacked one thing. They had not been chosen by God to lead the people of Israel. Moses had. They had not. They were close and yet so far, “close but no cigar.”

Any pastor of any church or leader of any team has heard the murmuring and sensed the undermining carried out by people closest to him. The spirit of Miriam and Aaron lives on today, in the form of friendly fire. It comes from those who are full of themselves but they are not full of the wisdom of God.

Sitting on a plane and collecting frequent flyer miles will never develop the skills of a pilot. Sitting close to the cockpit can be deceiving.  When a passenger believes their view out of a side window gives them more clarity and sense of direction than the view from the pilot’s seat, they are wrong, and they are dangerous. Never turn the controls over to them.

Murmuring always begins with a question. It points to the LORD, but condemns the leader. The rebel tries to airbrush himself with moral purity, and take the seat closest to God. They want to appear to be protecting the reputation of God.

“Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” v. 2

These few words should strike fear in the heart of the unrepentant rebel and infuse hope in the heart to the meek who are under fire. “And the LORD heard it.” (V.2b)

When God hears murmuring, He hates it. When He hears it coming from the mouth of self-appointed leaders, He deals with it. One of the fundamental truths of Scripture is the certainty of a fall coming for anyone foolish enough to trust in personal pride. The wise humble themselves before God.

“(Now Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, ‘You three come out of the tent of meeting.’“
V. 4

Miriam and Aaron confused stewardship with ownership. They thought the role of a servant to Moses elevated them to a leadership role equal to his. They were wrong. So is any staff member in a local church who thinks their good idea is God’s idea. It is one thing to be in authority, and another thing to be under authority. Learning the difference is the path to humility.

What God saw in Moses, Miriam and Aaron could not see. He was faithful, and prayerful. This significance was lost on two people who were more concerned with getting the credit for what God did than spending time with the God who did it.

“He is faithful in all My household. With him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings.” V. 8a

The lesson is clear. There ought to be a holy fear of God that restrains criticism and constant murmuring against leaders called by God.  God still asks, “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant.” V. 8b

NOTE TO SELF: Moses prayed the most for those who hurt him the most. He interceded for God’s best for them, and left it up to God what He would do to them. Don’t ever take vengeance into your own hands. Take a knee.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Appeal

“So Moses said to the LORD, ‘Why have you been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that you have laid the burden of all this people on me?’ “ Numbers 11:11

The prayer of Moses is marked by a sense of urgency, bordering on panic. Battling with the day-to-day challenges of leading rebellious people through touch terrain, and providing for their needs left him a victim of compassion fatigue. He was at the end of his rope, physically, mentally, and spiritually. The murmuring, complaining people had finally irritated his last nerve. He took his anger to God, not out on his people. Wise man.

Whatever initial sense of accomplishment Moses may have felt by leading “this people” out of Egypt evaporated in the searing climate of their perpetual petulance. The privilege of leading them to their destination had become a burden. It was no longer a blessing. Any honest leader or genuine pastor has felt the same way more than once, and is likely to experience over and over again “the burden of all this people.” Can I get a witness?

Moses was not just commissioned to guide the people out of Egypt and into the land of promise, kicking and screaming every step along the way. He was to lead them with the same nurturing spirit, soft voice, and gentle touch a nursing mother would have for her child.   Moses was not called to drag them down the path of God by their hair. He was to hold them close to his heart. He was not allowed the relief of stiff-arming the stiff-necked. He was called to, “ ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant,…’ “( v. 12)

Any Dad who has been forced to hear the relentless cry of a hungry child knows the futility of putting a pacifier in the mouth a screaming baby when the only answer is mother’s milk.  Moses was bombarded by millions of people who had lived for generations in a slave culture. Holding them close to his heart meant he could hear their cries, but he could not meet their needs.

“…They weep before me…” (v. 13)

As slaves, the people had not been paid, but they had been fed. They expected no less under freedom than they experienced under slavery. Freed slaves now looked to Moses to meet their needs. He had no spiritual or nutritional resources for them.  He did the wisest thing  leaders or pastors can ever do when they come to the end of their rope. He went to God. He pleaded for relief. He threw in a little whining, but in all fairness, Moses went to God.

“I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me.” (V. 14)

The prayer life of Moses reveals a life of intimacy with God on a level no man had ever experienced. Still, the day to day responsibilities of leadership and shepherding a new nation into freedom, and out of bad habits was exhausting. He couldn’t live under the daily pressure of encore anxiety, and unmet needs. No one can.

“Please kill me at once, If I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.” (V. 15)

NOTE TO SELF: The blessing of being a leader can be lost under the burden of the people. Oppression will lead you to intercession, or it will lead you to depression. This only happens EVERY TIME. When the burden overshadows the blessing, you have come to the end of your rope. Stop making rope.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!