I could hear God's voice in my ear...
"Go, Tori. I want this for you."
"I don't want to. I don't need it, I'm okay."
"Will you please let me show you something?"
Sunday morning, I visited a new church with a friend. After two weeks of training at camp, I was exhausted and woke up with a raging sore throat, headache, and nausea. I knew it wasn't going to be a good way to start the first week with campers.
The church was absolutely fantastic. While it wasn't quite the cleanest on worship, and the speaker wasn't quite what I was used to (she also wore her sunglasses on her head the whole time... whoops!), I could feel the Holy Spirit moving. The service had a time for praying for another church in the community, as well as time to receive prayer at the alter.
As the time for prayer came, I knew God was calling me to ask for prayer. To receive healing, as well as His blessing into this next week. I felt my anxiety rising. I did not want to go. A completely new church, in a new state, with a friend I have really just met and didn't know how she would react or think of me making such a bold move.
I know God wishes for my obedience. As I attempted to reason with Him, to have the voice in my head be content with staying in my pew, a lyric from the worship set enters my mind.
"When you say go, I will go. When you say wait, I will wait"
And while I don't remember the rest of it, I remembered enough. I had just sang my praises, my commitment and promise to Christ. That when He said to go, I promised I would go!
Up to the alter I went. Onto my knees I fell. Tears fell for no reason other than God's grace and patience. A woman I didn't know prayed for me, and as she prayed for healing, rebuking the enemy in his silly schemes against my health, my throat was soothed. In a moment, my raging pain had ceased. Glory to God!!
While I still had my headache and nausea, God showed me so much. He is the Healer. He is asking me to be dependent on Him, to continually ask for healing and seek after His direction. When He says go, I have got to Go!!
A little more on this church family: My friend and I were welcomed into a home if we had no place to stay on the weekend (we do, but it was super amazing, too!) and when we went out for lunch, a group of older couples from the church invited us over to their table. The church home felt right, and we felt completely welcome. They, and we, are so excited to see each other at church again on Sunday, and to find a community home in a land so far from our own.
I cannot thank God enough for His healing, provision, and loving community. Yay, God!!!!
