Printing

Last night at NavNite, my friends Rob Thompson and Drew Martin shared a story that you really have to read first to understand why I am posting this story. You can read Rob’s October 25 post here:

http://abreathfromheaven.blogspot.com/

What I write here may seem futile, but it’s not. He is so glorified even in the smallest things.

I am the Assistant Marketing Director at the Campus Recreation Center at Tech (I promise that sounds way cooler than it is). This morning when I went into work, my boss wasn’t there, so I called her. She was on her way to a meeting and told me to see another lady and help her with an event being hosted at the CRC at 11am. I knocked on her office door and saw through the window that she was on the phone. I waited outside. When she opened the door a few minutes later, she was crying. She couldn’t even contain herself. As she forced a smile at me, I asked her if she needed me to print and cut the fliers I made for the event. She asked for 300 fliers in 20 minutes and politely shut the door. 

I freaked out. I wasn’t nearly as concerned with getting the job done for the event... they were just little flyers... but this lady was going through something bad. I later heard her talking in the hallway to her boss, saying, “I can’t take it anymore. I’ve got to take a personal day tomorrow.” I just wanted to make one thing a little easier for her. But here’s the problem: I’ve worked at the CRC for 7 weeks and have already successfully managed to break every appliance in the giant copy room in the offices. On my first day, I already had the Assistant Director of Facilities, the Operations Manager, and the Administrative Coordinator helping me unjam the shredder. The 7ft. copier, named “Rico,” seems to jam on me every five copies I try to make, forcing me to act for two seconds like I know anything about technology and open up the back of the stupid thing and get covered in ink and get it on my white shorts and cut my hand, every time. The industrial printer is the worst, though. It’s wires are somehow crossed between the trays to where you have to press “OK” for every piece of paper being printed, even if it’s 100 of the same thing. My point is that getting 300 fliers printed in 20 minutes was totally not going to happen.

First, I tried the copier, just for kicks. It jammed, of course. I tried printing only five from the printer, hoping that for the first time in forever the thing would print consecutive copies without stopping between each one. It didn’t work. It even rotated and cut off the pages at random. 

But after hearing Rob and Drew’s testimonies last night and hearing my friend Cam talk about praying over inanimate objects, I faced the printer and put my hands on it. I felt ridiculous, but I kept thinking about the lady I was doing this for. She needed one thing to go right. I prayed that God would make the printer work just this one day, and I praised Him for testing my patience so that it would grow. 

By now I had 12 minutes. I told the printer to print 100 copies. I went to cut in half the few I already had, and from behind me I heard the printer start... and it worked. Between copying five sheets at a time on Rico and the slow printer, I got the flyers to her on time. When my boss got back later, I asked her if anyone had fixed the printer recently. She said no one has touched it.

Except God.

He fixed an inanimate object.

God, You are good, and You are powerful! It’s amazing to see Your Spirit moving so tangibly through people so close to me! I am in complete awe of the personal love and intimacy You have with us. How could we ever be worthy of even speaking to You, the Holy One, Adonai, Yahweh? How can we not forever live in complete joy and confidence in Your Son, Who You sent to reunite us with You? It is through Him that we can even have these prayers You so faithfully answer. Thank You for listening, God. Thank You for Your timing, for Your provision, and for Your grace.

In Your Son’s Name, Amen.

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 
Romans 8:32

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 
John 15:7

But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. 
Job 32:8

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 
1 Corinthians 2:11 

The Advocate

Dear God,

I feel Your Spirit in my heart. 

I know that Your Spirit is the root of all things good within me. My every act of faithfulness and kindness is all You and only You because You are gracious enough to use me as Your window into this world. Every time I somehow reflect Your Son’s character while feeling impatient or jealous or unfaithful or tempted or hurt or unjustified-- that is when Your Spirit speaks for me even more. Whether in calmness, argument, or suppression, God, You are illuminated with my every exhale. You teach me to have peace and patience in my heart that I cannot understand or find in anything else. Often the words from my mouth are unrecognized by me but planned by You. I find my actions stifling sin with strength I could never amount to alone. By myself, I am far unworthy of producing the fruit of Your Spirit, yet You have healed my heart through Your Son in order that I may reveal to Your world Your love and character.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

In the chaos and in the quiet, I feel Your presence inexplicably. Your Spirit is so great that I cannot verbally justify It’s existence without relying heavily on Your Word. I fear You not only because I recognize Your power, but because I will be in Heaven before I am capable of fully understanding Your unstoppable desire and extraordinary ability to dwell within my soul. As little as I can fathom Your omniscience or the width of Your Kingdom, I can comprehend Your actions through me. Oh, but how beautiful it is to know that Something so strong chooses to radiate from me. 

Isaiah 40:28

Do you not know? 

   Have you not heard? 

The LORD is the everlasting God, 

   the Creator of the ends of the earth. 

He will not grow tired or weary, 

   and His understanding no one can fathom.

I know that if You hadn’t chosen to live inside of me, I would be dead and unsatisfied. Your Spirit is life and freedom and It makes my cup overflow! No worldly desire- whether it be accomplishment or relationship or possession- could ever bridge the gap between my heart’s design for You and Your ability to captivate it. Like a fountain, the river of Your Spirit never runs dry. It flows so endlessly that It fulfills not only my every need, but It uses me to quench the desperate thirst of the lost and suffering for the compassion of and relationship with a merciful Savior. Your Spirit carries a love that is so deep and wide and covering and fierce and strong and furious and sweet and wild and awakening that only You- YAHWEH- could create it- the most satisfying of all things.

Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

God, Your Spirit fights for me. Despite pain and temptation and evil, You have won every battle. No spiritual war has ever even been close to being lost because You have already defeated all sin through the death and resurrection of Your Son. When I don’t know what to say or do, You not only act through me, but You pray for me in the Name of Jesus and with the power of God. Though I cannot see You with my earthly eyes, I can clearly see You in Your victory as You go before me as a shield and as a sword.

John 14:26

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Romans 8:25-26

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Because such a miraculous Spirit lives within me, I must honor and respect myself. Through God-driven discipline and Heavenly ambition, it is my responsibility to treat my body as a temple and sanctuary of You- the Alpha and Omega. No indulgence or harm or self destruction may bring down the walls and well-being of the dwelling place- which You Yourself hand-crafted- of Your Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Teach me to humbly submit to Your Spirit, God. Guide me in Your faithfulness and encourage me to trust in the You as You do things I do not understand. Thank You for wanting to live in me- a sinner- and for giving me the grace to follow Your will. I love You. Great is Your faithfulness.


In Your Son's Name,

Amen