During a retreat as we were worshipping, the presence of the Lord was evident and beautiful. During that time, I had given a prophetic word to a young lady that resulted in tears and awe of how great and amazing our God truly is. Later that afternoon, I was sitting alone gathering my thoughts and notes for the next session when a women came toward me. She grabbed a chair, sat next to me, and said, “okay, what was that?”
This middle-aged woman sat there with a desire to understand what just took place during the worship. “How did you know those things about that girl?” she asked. I told the women I had never met that young girl, but God knew who she was and what she needed. I began to tell her about the Holy Spirit, and how when we ask Holy Spirit to be a part of our lives, there are things that only He can do through us, when we receive Him. The women began to tell me a little about her childhood, growing up in the South where during worship, she was just thinking about where they would all go for brunch after service. She talked about having a disconnect to God and didn’t know He could speak to us like that. As we kept in conversation about who God is and what He can do, her face lit up like a child, “Why have I not known this before?” We continued the discussion, we prayed and then God released a word over her to start a bible study and teach more women about Holy Spirit, about intimate relationship and understand what only He can do!
I write this with a strong desire to remind us all that God goes far beyond our boxes we try to put Him in. God is like a deep ocean and if we have been floating on the top of the waves our entire lives, we would never see all the beautiful things that lie under the surface. The deeper we dive, the more in awe we are at all the colors, sea life, and beauty that has been under the surface the entire time. As we go even deeper, we see things that seem impossible to the human eye, like fish that light up and plankton that make glowing patterns in the dark waters that cannot be entirely understood. As we dive deeper with God and trust The One who lives and dwells in us, that is when we see more of Him. God is infinite and even Paul wrote in Philipians that even he has not laid hold of all of who God is (Phil. 3:12-14). The beautiful thing about God is there is depth and layers to Him that He asks us to seek, with the knowledge that we will never understand it all. From the time I was little, my dad always told me, “you want all that God has to offer and not just a piece.” I grew up with an understanding that diving for more was a good thing, and the more I dove the more I desired Him and all that He has. I’ve seen Him do miracles, heal broken hearts, draw people to Him. I’ve seen Him heal my heart, do miracles in my body and feel His love in deep, and intimate ways.
Some may be afraid to go a little deeper, some may not know you can go deeper, and some may have seen false prophets or people wanting the attention and not giving it to God and decide that above the waves is a better place. Either way, 1 John 4 teaches us to test the spirits, but doesn’t say to refrain from believing, from desiring to trust Him and the gifts of His Holy Spirit. Today, I encourage each one of us to trust God as we seek more. Something that I have learned is, if I want more, all I must do is ask. Ask Him to ignite the Holy Spirit that lies within you. To allow God to give you more, to entrust you with more and to show you more of what only He can do and what only He does.
If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:15
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8
Emily Rodewald 