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Monday's Meditation: Everday Situations
Monday, June 15, 2009 at 11:33AM Here’s a story of how one simple question changed thousands of lives. A young guy went into work one day. He’s just a guy: twenty-something, an accountant, married a few years. He went into work feeling like there was no future. He and his wife had been told they would never have children, and their dreams of life together were crushed. That day at work another guy in the office asked a straightforward question: “Hey, did you know God still does miracles?”
“I hope so,” came the reply, and then the changes came one after another. The young couple received prayer, not long afterward the wife conceived, they turned to Jesus, entered the ministry, had five children, and over the past 30-plus years have been used by God to touch thousands of people. It’s true. Just ask Happy and Dianne Lehman, pastors at the Vineyard in Champaign, Illinois. It all started when a co-worker encountered a fairly common situation and asked a simple question. It’s a parable for those who want to be disciples.
Jesus used everyday situations to shape his disciples: paying taxes, feeding the hungry, fishing, encountering a fever at home, settling disputes between people filled with pride and competition. He knew that commonplace situations contained eternal possibilities: a drink of water could change a town, coins could become cities, and palm leaves could threaten an empire. Moreover, Jesus expected to leave behind a group of followers who were capable of continuing his work in every respect. His solutions transformed the most unlikely cast of characters into world-changers who operated with his priorities, lived out his example, and operated with the same authority and power as their Master.
From their life-changing experience, Happy and Dianne learned how to invite the Kingdom of God into the everyday. As Dianne puts it, just seven words on the lips of a follower of Jesus can invite the in-breaking of the Kingdom at any moment: “Can I pray for you right now?” It’s another simple question that could change thousands of lives. Whose life can I change today?