God's Heartbeat

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation.”  Mark 16:15, NIV

I’ve always been thankful and content for the platform God has given me as a songwriter and worship leader. But, one thing has always troubled me, and it’s the fact that 99 percent of the time, I’m singing or leading worship mostly among believers. Don’t get me wrong, I love worshiping with other Christians. But I’m afraid that I’ve become much too insulated from the rest of the world.  I started thinking…  I’ve got my Christian friends, my Christian co-workers, my Christian doctor, my Christian dentist and, oh yeah, my Christian mechanic and the list goes on and on. If we aren’t careful, we can remove ourselves from the real world and not have any contact with people who believe and think differently.

Recently, a friend asked me if I would speak at their father’s funeral.  I’ve sung at many funerals in the past but never had to do any speaking.  I said yes before I had a chance to think about it and realize that I would be thrust completely out of my comfort zone.  

On the day of the funeral, I arrived early for visitation and immediately the funeral directors came up to me and wanted to know the order of service. As you can imagine, I was clueless, but we somehow arrived at a consensus.

A few minutes before the service started, all the friends of the deceased were asked to leave the viewing room so that I could pray for the family. We bowed our heads and after a few moments of silence we felt God’s sweet, loving presence in such a real way. We prayed and then proceeded to the chapel.  I had asked a few of my friends to help me sing a couple of songs which we hurriedly rehearsed before the service.

After the music, I shared a few things about the person we were honoring and gave thanks for his life.  Then, I briefly talked about God’s love and how He desires for us to simply receive that love, grace, forgiveness and mercy.  I mentioned how our friend had his struggles like all the rest of us, but he had found hope in Christ.

After the service, the funeral directors approached me and asked if I’d consider officiating at services when the family doesn’t have a pastor or church affiliation.  I thanked them for extending the invitation but graciously declined. I didn’t think I had the time and besides, I don’t even know how or what I’m doing!

On my way home it hit me…  I had been asking God to help me step outside my circle of friends and share His love with others. He then gives me an opportunity and I don’t even recognize it!

The following Sunday, two of the people from the funeral service came to Faith Church where I lead worship.  Needless to say, I’ll be calling the funeral chapel and will volunteer whenever I’m available. I’m always amazed at how God answers my prayers. It’s usually so different than I expect and this case was certainly no exception.

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, help us to draw so near that we can hear your every heart beat. And, open our eyes to opportunities each day to share your love and mercy with others even in the most unexpected ways.  In Jesus' name, Amen.