Friday, March 12, 2010

The Flame

March 12, 2010

THE FLAME

Just got off the phone with my sister.

I called her to talk over an incident in our lives that occured many years ago at a summer camp on Vancouver Island, off the west coast of Canada.

I've mentioned this encounter with God in an earlier blog, but now some of the details are more complete.

My sister Judy was eight.

Laurie Price, a great revivalist, was preaching the evenings.

My Dad was speaking in the mornings.

God was moving on all of us.

One evening Laurie extended the invitation for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit and my sister "was too shy to respond...
...until I suddenly found myself going to the altar and beginning to pray."

God moved on her rather profoundly and after a time, she began speaking in a language that she had no idea of.

Near her was a lady, Jessie Wong, a missionary to China. Home on furlough, she had become so discouraged she had spoken to some of not returning to the place of her ministry.

As she overheard Judy speaking, she understood her to be saying:
"Don't worry.
I am with you..."
(and more words of encouragement).
Judy remembers the language to have been identified as Cantonese.

Jessie called my father over and spoke with him, sharing this story. Needless to say, this experience for many was truly life-giving.

So the Holy Spirit was filling a child, speaking through her to an adult, and in that process blowing fresh winds of encouragement on everyone.

Come, Holy Spirit.

"Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame:
The baptism of the heav'n-descended Dove -
My heart an altar and Thy love the flame."*

Amen.



David


*Verse 4 of Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

1 comment:

Christine Cornwell said...

I remember hearing you tell this story years ago. It made such a lasting impression on/in me as a new believer. I loved reading this account and was reminded, once again, that I love how God works.