"The Perfect Gift"

Stepping Out in RED Shoes!

- Day 80 -

If getting your father - "the man who has everything" - a gift 

for Father's Day, his birthday, or Christmas  isn't challenging enough...  

What in the world do you give your

 Heavenly Father  to show love and honor to Him?

For the last three nights, my church has held an evening prayer meeting.  The congregation all comes forward to the altar and lifts their hands in worship and praise, as the musicians play their instruments.  Between songs, individual people spontaneously go up to the microphone and from their hearts send up prayers and praises to God, while others stand in prayerful agreement.  It's an anointed time before the Lord.

One night, I carefully tuned into the words that the people were offering up to God.  Some were nervous.  They didn't quite speak as eloquently as they had hoped.  Some didn't say things exactly right.  Some even forgot things or stumbled over their sentences.  I was amazed at the Lord's response to all that.  He could care less.  Perfection or lack of it,  is not important to Him.  After I left, the Lord said to me...

"I just love it when my children present 

offerings of prayer and praise to me like that!"

He personally receives each offering,

 one at a time, with a smile, 

taking note of who it was that brought a gift.

When I first attended this church over a year ago, I remember sitting several rows back and just watching all the people.  They had left their seats during worship and moved to the big space in front of the platform and were waving their arms in the air while they sang.  Some were dancing.  One or two were waving flags.  There was a man on the far side, blowing a shofar.  Many were on their knees weeping and praying.  WOW!  There was a lot going on.  I remember God talking to me that day about how much He loved that.  

He saw the service as a 

big celebration in His honor 

and welcomed all the people 

who made such wonderful

 presentations before His throne.  

I'd never thought of it that way before.  I felt enlightened!

The other day at The Bonfire,  a gal did an interpretive signing to a song... "I've just seen Jesus!"  So here's the funny thing... She doesn't really know sign language.  She made up her own signing to go with the song.  When the song played and she began to perform, I was completely captivated by her facial expressions.  I could see that she was making a desperate attempt to communicate this extraordinary divine encounter with The Living God to her audience.  As feeble of an attempt that is for any of us, God received her offering and poured out His anointing upon it.  

What does that mean?  It means that His Spirit rushed forth from her presentation, touching the hearts of the observers so powerfully that it felt as if Jesus, Himself,  had actually walked into their midst.  It caused people to call out His name over and over again -- some wept  --  some shook -- some clapped and praised Him without reservation!  It was Divine Partnership.

Almost two years ago, I attended a gospel meeting with two friends of mine in a nearby town.  It was a small meeting -- less than fifty people.  I was a little bit surprised that the woman leading worship was not an overly gifted singer.  Sometimes she wasn't even in tune.  What amazed me however was the fact that in her sincere desire to worship the Lord, the Holy Spirit continually showed up and blessed her offering to Him.  After two or three songs, we were right in the center of the presence of God.  It was glorious!

Are you beginning to see the pattern?  For God, it's not about the excellence or perfection of the gift.  Does that surprise you?  He's not a judge for American Idol,  The Voice  or  X-Factor.  He's Our Father and we are His children.   He's looking for pureness and sincerity of heart.  

"The LORD does not look at the things people look at.

People look at the outward appearance, 

but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7

Recently my daughter and I were visiting my mom.  Just for fun, we dug out an old video tape from when my kids were young.  Every Christmas I would make a movie in which the kids would talk to their grandparents, sing songs, recite poems, etc.  While watching the video, we discovered the cutest clip of my youngest daughter 

singing her heart out.

"Holy, holy, holy!

Lord... God Almighty.

Early in the morning, 

my song shall rise to Thee!"

She couldn't have been much more than five.  

She belted out that song with all her heart. 

Of course, most of it was out of tune.  Her voice may have even cracked a few times.  I'm not even sure she got all the words right.  She stumbled here and there.  Do you think we even cared?  Heck no! Even now -- decades later --  both my mom and I were glued to the screen, ooooo-ing and ahhhh-ing.  We couldn't get enough.  "Play that again!"  we announced.  It was the greatest thing ever!

That's what it's like when we go before Our Father 

with praises, prayers, dancing, flags, horns...  

He loves it!  He can't get enough of it!
"Do it again!"  He shouts.  "Do it again!"

That said, I'm guessing it's the same when I

 step out each day in RED shoes!

He loves it!  He loves me!

Gail