In †he Moment

These words were shared just as we were about to wrap up and conclude our worship gathering that evening. We had spent a wonderful extended time in the Lord’s presence, singing and worshiping, praying and sharing. At the close of our time together we had given opportunity for people to share scriptures or things they believed the Lord had spoken to them during our worship time. There were a number of meaningful insights shared, and several similar themes the Spirit of God was emphasizing to us this particular evening. Someone then suggested that we close with one more song, a song that would both exalt and thank the Lord for His presence among us. Just before I led the group in that final song, I gave one last opportunity for anyone to share something that might be on their heart. It a prompting one last person decided to act upon.

A lady who was seated a bit on the outward edge of the folks informally circled in the living room area, and who had not shared anything up to this point, began to quietly speak. She said it had been hard for her tonight as we sang and worshiped together to feel like she had really entered into the Lord’s presence. She couldn’t understand why it was so difficult for her to do so. She had been looking forward to coming to the meeting for a couple of weeks, and was really eager to be in an environment where she could freely worship the Lord. Yet there she was, and it was inexplicably difficult for her to relax and rest in His presence.

She had no way of knowing at the time that I too had been struggling to discern the Lord’s presence among us at several points, trying to get a sense of what He wanted to say and do among us as we worshiped together. At times I would quit playing my guitar and let the singing and music stop, so that we could allow time for the Spirit to emphasize the words we had just sung or to speak something else into our hearts as we quietly waited. During those times I would also pray about which song we should sing next and whether it would complement what the Lord was saying or wanting to do in our midst. Or should we even sing another song? I wondered a time or two if should begin bringing our meeting to a close—had the Lord done all He wanted to this night?

But the quiet witness of the Holy Spirit told me that He was not through, and we were not through; and we continued to sing and worship a while longer. I didn’t know at the time there was still at least one person with whom the Lord wanted to make a “connection”: a woman who was longing for His presence and struggling so hard to enter in to something she knew was right before her. And because the Lord prompted me to persevere in worship during my own struggle, we all pressed into His presence a little deeper as we sang several more songs. We ended with the song, “Be Still And Know”—and suddenly a connection was made: “It wasn’t until the very last song that I finally got it.”

During that final song the cry of one woman’s heart was answered—a cry not to be convinced of God’s presence in her life, but to once again know the experience of His presence and His touch. “That is,” author Frederick Buechner reminds us, “the miracle we are really after, and that is also, I think, the miracle that we really get.” It’s a miracle that follows closely on the heels of a heart that longs for the living God, and who pursues Him not only with passion but with a tenacious perseverance—for sometimes it’s a miracle that unfolds only during the very last song.