Seek the Lord and Live
The only thing on my Dad’s mind at this time was that for 5 years he had ignored a call from God to full-time ministry. With only a 4th grade education and a family to care for, full-time ministry seemed impossible and he had told no one. Now, faced with the death of his son, he stepped into a rest room and prayed a 3-word prayer, “Lord, I’m ready!” It was a prayer of surrender. It was a prayer in which God’s interests were at the forefront rather than his own.
Suddenly the gift of faith dropped into his heart and he knew that Pete was going to be OK. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. After about an hour, one of the doctors returned to the waiting room and said, “Mr. Hyatt, there has been a higher power here tonight. We know your son had a broken rib that had punctured his lung. But we have completed the x-rays, the bleeding has stopped, and he doesn’t have a broke bone in his body.” My brother Pete is well and healthy today.
How did this miracle happen? My Dad put God’s interests ahead of his own. Think about it! He did not pray a prayer for healing or rebuke the devil. He did not call the intercessory prayer group or the healing evangelist. When he put God’s interests at the forefront, the power of God was manifest in an incredible way. I am convinced that we do not see greater miracles of healing today because we are more preoccupied with healing than we are the Healer. If we will put the interests of the Healer ahead of our own, His healing power will be mightily revealed in our midst and we will see another “healing revival.”
Don’t Seek Provision, Seek the Provider
All Saints Anglican Church of Sunderland, England took on an extensive building project around 1900. Because of some unexpected challenges they found themselves burdened with a financial debt they were unable to pay. Around the same time the pastor, A. A. Boddy, heard of the Azusa Street revival in America and an intense hunger for God was stirred in his heart. He began to diligently seek God and many of his parishioners joined him. As they sought the Lord, a powerful revival broke forth and All Saints Anglican in Sunderland became a center of revival with the curious and hungry coming from throughout the UK and all of Europe. Well-known Pentecostal evangelist, Smith Wigglesworth, went to All Saints in 1907 and was baptized in the Holy Spirit when the Mrs. Boddy, the pastor’s wife, laid her hands on him.
In the midst of seeking God and experiencing his presence and power, Pastor Boddy and the people of All Saints Anglican Church almost forgot about the financial debt. But in the midst of the revival, without any fundraising tactics on their part, all the money to pay the dept came in. They were so impressed that they had inscribed in stone on the outside wall of their building, “The fire fell and burned up the debt.” The inscription is still there today. When they stopped seeking money and began to seek God, everything they needed was supplied. Psalm 34:10 says, The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing . In spite of all the talk about a transfer of worldly wealth into the hands of believers, it will never happen to a generation that is seeking money, but to the generation that is seeking Him.
Category: Living the Faith, Winter 2018
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