Ready

Warriors Arise: January 23, 2022

Luke 19:1-10 (NKJV) Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Why am I taking so much time with this? Most of us have read this part of history before and many more sang the song, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man…" in Sunday School years ago. Have you ever wondered,

Will Jesus come?

Will I know His presence?

Will He stop when He gets to me?

Will He look at me or into me?

Will a look be enough or will He speak to me?

Those are good questions. They are valuable questions. They are significant questions. Once we get into position, we are where Jesus will pass and we wait for His arrival. These questions fuel our anticipation, keep us alert and watchful. Many times that encounter is one step away.

A couple of days ago, a dear friend of mine reached out to me, "I was worshipping and felt God tell me to invite you to come worship with me. Send me a couple of days and times so we can get together and worship." I was thrilled! Last Sunday, I was "off" in worship and I take that pretty hard. Maybe my heart was divided. I didn't want to be up leading a new song, I wanted to be dancing to it. I wanted the Spirit of God to flow through me. It is a very captivating song. I tried to get Selah to sing in my place so I could dance. All week I had asked her. I finally asked if she wouldn't sing in my place would she be prepared to dance as the Spirit led her. Selah is extremely shy. She has an astounding voice, the best in our family. She also has a gift of graceful dance. Worship practice Sunday morning didn't flow. We worked through the new song a number of times. The trouble spots were gone and it seemed like we all knew our parts but when we led the song I missed coming in at the bridge, we were off key and then couldn't get matched up until after the bridge. It totally crushes me when this happens and it happens more than I would like. I know it is humiliating to my team, because I put them through it and I failed them as a leader. That doesn't hurt as bad as throwing everyone out of the atmosphere of worshipping God, because I didn't have the song ready. So, when my friend sent the text I was ecstatic! She led and introduced me to new songs. Then she began a song and I could tell there was a shift.

I asked her to start the song again and sing the words louder so I could hear them. I took my boots off and stepped away from the piano. Ah the refreshing beauty of dancing before the Lord and King. The cleansing power of fully giving into worship not just in song, but with every movement and cell in my body. My mind was focused on giving all my worship to Him. I knew He didn't mind when I wobbled and I wasn't as graceful as Selah. He met me and looked at me and delighted in my worship. He received all my insecurities, flaws, weaknesses, screw ups, mishaps, and heaviness. He received the cry of my heart, the focus of my mind, and the expression of dance. He received my love as I poured it out before Him in dance from the depth of my heart. It as if I had arrived. I had run to meet Jesus, exactly where He was passing by. I had climbed the tree to position myself to see Him. And then it began.

My friend had ended the song and was playing an interlude as we waited for the "next". Then it happened. A song bubbled up out of me. It was a new song. Jesus had stopped and looked at me. His gaze upon me caused me to sing. Words flowed and melodies came. Verse and chorus came without effort. I danced and sang. It was cleansing, refreshing, encouraging, and overwhelming. The love of Jesus poured over me.

When I was done, my friend asked, "Where did that come from?"

"It came from my time with the Lord. He has been speaking volumes. Those words were the overflow of what He has been saying." I responded.

Jesus had come and I was prepared to worship Him.

Father, thank You for moving on my friend to invite me to worship. I get too wrapped up in all the to-do of the day and many times do not take the xtra time to invest in You, worship You, give glory to You. Forgive me. Thank You for speaking to me and investing in me. Thank You for inviting me to dance for You. Thank You for giving me courage to dance in front of my friend. Thank You for given me boldness to let the words flow from my mouth in song. You are amazing. I delight in You. Thank You for teaching me to run ahead of the crowd and position myself to see You. Thank You for meeting with me in Jesus' name amen.

A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,

Veridee Joy Hand

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