Surrounded

As the Executive Assistant to our Senior Pastor, I frequently get calls from people looking for a variety of things related to the church, pastoral assistance, sermons, etc. To be completely transparent, this past year has seen more than its fair share of difficult phone calls and emails. The tensions that our communities have seen are not set aside when they contact the church. Frustrations have run high as all of us have navigated the difficulties of a world-wide pandemic, racial tensions, and a conflict-laden election. People are tired. People are angry. People say things that they would normally never utter. So you can understand why I might be a little gun shy when it comes to my daily phone and email interactions.

This week a kind woman called to ask about notes from a recent sermon. She attends a different church and adds services from ours to her weekly studies. As we talked, we were finally able to narrow down what she was looking for and I helped her find the “missing link” to her studies. While she attends a wonderful church, she has been especially moved by our Senior Pastor’s prayers and painstakingly writes them down each week. She notes the associated scriptures and refers back to them as the Spirit leads. 

Then she shared her story.

Her father lived in a nursing home and when it became clear last fall that he would soon be passing, she and her siblings were not able to be with him in person. In the early morning hours, they were able to set up a Zoom link and took turns reading scriptures over their dad, including one of the prayers that she had laboriously written down. When they finished reading Psalm 150, he stepped into eternity. And what a powerful way to do so.

Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150

In order to be prepared before I called her back, I used all my administrative tools to find out all I could about this woman. There was no listing of her in our church records. I had never met her. I wouldn’t know her face if I stood next to her. But taking time to call and help resulted in her feeling safe enough to share her story. And, honestly, knowing her story has knit my heart to hers. Knowing that we love the same Lord has transformed her from a kind woman on the phone to a sister in the family of God.

This is why we do what we do. In the day-to-day weeds of administrative work, we are partnering with the Holy Spirit as He draws people to Himself and encourages His Beloved. We are surrounded by people with stories about His faithfulness in the practical and miraculous. We simply never know all that He is up to or how. We just know that He has made an invitation, He has placed us, and He has anointed us for His work – many times with an in-the-moment anointing.

Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear your precious Beloved as we walk through this life together. Help us to hand all the hurt over to your tender care so our own hearts aren’t hurt by carrying what isn’t ours to carry. Help us to remember that you have not called us to be the fixer of broken hearts, but to usher them into the presence of the Restorer of all things broken. Remind us all that we are surrounded by your never-ending whispers of love…

You are adored.