In the early 1980s, as national secretary of the Full Gospel Churches, I was invited to be the speaker at a gathering of pastors in Brisbane. Among those present was a nationally known evangelist and other well-known ministers. About twenty minutes before the meeting was due to begin, I had still not received a suitable message. So I went downstairs and out into the carpark and prayed urgently for the Lord’s help! Instantly a bible chapter and a few thoughts came to mind and I returned to the room upstairs as the meeting was about to begin.
I was aware of an unusually strong presence of the Spirit of God on me. We sang a few songs, and then the chairman rose to introduce me, only to be interrupted by a pastor known to me as competitive. He asked if he might first present a proposal to the meeting. Granted that opportunity, he spent about ten minutes talking about how the ministers present could secure lower prices by purchasing their motor vehicles corporately. He was about as spiritual as a brick.
The interruption was certainly not of God and I knew that Satan was using him to try to rob the pastors of the message by tearing away the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. I was determined however, not to let that happen, and so lifted my heart to God and prayed quietly but urgently in an unknown tongue throughout the interruption.
Feeling as though I had fallen overboard into an angry sea with nothing to save me but a lifebuoy attached to the heaving boat by a thin rope, I prayed, “Lord, I will not allow myself to be robbed by this man’s carnal intrusion! I hold on to the message that you have given me, and will not let go!” When the man stepped down I stepped up, every bit as strong in the presence and power of God as I had been before the intrusion.
I spoke on Psalm 136 and the Hebrew word “khesed”, which means “lovingkindness” and which is repeated in the psalm. It is a responsive psalm, so I asked for and received from the pastors the response: “For His mercy endures forever” which comes after each of the psalm’s 26 verses. The response from the pastors throughout and at the close was overwhelming, so I knew that the Lord had inspired the message.
Bottom line: Just when you are about to step into the blessing of God, Ishmael will intrude on Isaac and attempt to snatch it away. This you must not allow; instead, like Jacob, you must cry out to God: “I will not let you go until you bless me [by doing what you promised]!” God’s promise to you might relate to your marriage, your church, the safety of an errant teenager, or a position promised you in your workplace.
Hold on to it and don’t let go! The Apostle Paul was lowered down the wall of Damascus in a wicker basket at night! One likely attached by a single rope. How relieved must Paul have felt when he felt the basket touch the ground!
A study of Paul’s ministry reveals how much he depended on God. Will God let you down? NO! Will he lower you to a safe place through the hands of caring Christians? YES! That and more, because His mercy, His loving kindness really does endure forever!