A Story

Matthew 11:28
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

She stepped out of the crowd and made her way toward me.
Her steps....the way she walked.....
Her face....head down and seemingly under the weight of the world..
All revealed that she was desperate.
She was hesitant and almost seemed to stop for a brief moment as if the thought to turn and walk away passed through her mind. But she came forward.

She tried to smile but it didn't look genuine....it was forced and even though the smile came out, the eyes spoke of pain and hopelessness.
She extended her hand and I did likewise.
Mumbled words about how much she enjoyed the message.
It has been years since she was in church and she had come this particular day at the request of a friend.
I thanked her.
Long pause of silence. She wanted to say more.
Then began her story..
Abusive relationships.
Years of addiction.
A man had come back into her life from a previous relationship and it wasn't good.
Verbally abusive, she had been beaten down with words. Can you believe that? Words have the ability to drain the very life out of us when they are used as weapons. Here before me stood living, breathing proof.

Her need to be loved kept her searching for the right man, but it never seemed to work out.
One after another had passed through her life, each one using her till there was nothing else left she could give. At this point in her life, the men she had chosen to be with had discarded her like yesterday's newspaper.
Now here she was...
in a church, asking for prayer.
She closed her eyes and bowed her head.
I began to pray for God to come upon her.
She began to cry.
She began to confess and repent, asking God to forgive her.
The crying grew more intense and her words came quickly....
"Oh God! Please save me. I'm so tired. I'm so tired. I'm so tired. I give up."
Then release.
It was like every dark thing that had attached itself to the very soul of this woman, fled away until all that was left was the peace and presence of God.
Her eyes reflected gratitude for what had just happened.
She knew that God had honored her prayer. She was saved. She now had relationship with Jesus. Her situations had not changed, but now she had hope.
The tears kept flowing but they were not tears of sadness or gloom....
They were tinged with Joy and with purpose.
The weight that had previously bent her over in despair and hopelessness was now lifted.
Jesus was here.

Please remember this young lady when you pray.
Ask God to cover her and keep her from the return of the enemy.
Ask God to direct her path and focus her mind so that she will not embrace her old lifestyle.
Is God good, or what?

God on you....
mb