I Can't Be Silent

"And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." - Luke 19:37-40

When something is really exciting for you, how do you react? I know it takes every ounce of self control that I possess to contain my joy. Friends tell me that I'm horrible at hiding how I'm feeling as it is, and how I'm like an open book, but evidently in that sort of situation, it's definitely obvious.

A few days back, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who had been having a rough time lately. Everything seemed to be falling apart around them, and they just felt hopeless. I tried to encourage them, to give them hope, but there was just one tiny little drawback...I had been previously told not talk to them about God because they weren't willing to listen right then. One of the first thoughts that flashed through my mind was, "Okay, so how am I supposed to remind them that there's hope even in what seems to be the darkest of times, when they are not exactly in the most receptive of moods?" I did everything I could imagine possible to get my point across without flat out saying it; that God is in control no matter what, and how He will always be by our side if we will just ask.

I hadn't ever thought about this before then, but ever since Christ saved me, bringing Him into my conversations with people to some extent or another has pretty much been second nature to me. I'm excited about His love and mercy for someone so unworthy as I, and I want to share that with everyone else I meet! So when trying to talk to my friend that day without coming outright and speaking about God, I found myself struggling. The above verses, Luke 19:37-40, echoed in my mind as I attempted to talk to them. I could TOTALLY relate to the multitudes not being able to be silent! I could barely contain myself.

I think my friend could sense my struggle, because eventually they told me that if I wanted to bring God into the conversation, I could. They were willing to listen. I must say, that was definitely a relief!

I have thought about those verses a lot lately, particularly where Jesus says, "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Just as it's hard for me to hide my emotions about other things, it's definitely hard for me to stay quiet about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray that we all, as followers of God, will forever be excited about His love for us, and always be eager to share the Gospel with those around us.

"Here Am I; Send Me!"

October 7th, 2010

There are so many out there who have not heard of Jesus' unending love for them -- people who have never heard His precious name, nor experienced His infinite mercy and grace. Jesus says in Matthew 9:37, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few." Then He commands us in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

Let's take a look at Isaiah 6:8. It says, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."

How do we respond to the Lord's question of, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Do we reply like Isaiah, and eagerly say, "Here am I; send me"? Or do we just kick back, not willing to leave our comfort zones, and answer Him with, "Sorry, God. I don't really feel like it today. Send someone else." Sadly, so many people, who profess to be Christians, have this attitude. They don't want to leave their comfort zones, and would rather someone else take the burden for them.

People, we should not have that sort of mindset! Think about it: if you don't tell them, who will? What if everyone thought in this way? There's a big chance that you and I probably would not have heard about Christ, if that were the case! We need to be willing to leave our comfort zones and go where God leads us, proclaiming His Word to all whom we come in contact with, and sharing His love with others. We need to be saying, "Here am I; send me!"

Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"



Written By: Stephanie DeFoyd