Well, I finally delivered my sermon on repentance this past Shabbat, and the response was humbling. At least a half-dozen people came forward after the message for prayer… something that does not happen regularly, so when it does, you know it’s genuine.
While many people thanked me for the message, I must say that anything that happened for people at that level did not come from me; it was clearly a move of God’s Ruach through the words God gave me.
This is no “false humility” on my part; it’s genuinely a response that I did not see coming or anticipate.
I’m not sure what people were repenting of since I’m not in a prayer-consoling position at this point; it could have been anything. Yet whether someone is struggling with substance issues that involve frequenting a bar or whether they’re merely holding on to anger or bitterness, it is certainly good to see people willing to submit to the prompting of the Spirit and cast off whatever’s defiling them, so they can be restored to unity with God and see his power made real in their lives once more.
Isn’t that what we all want?
Tags: repentance