Sometimes You Need to Be Touched

I have heard that more than 50% of church attending Christians say they have not had an encounter with God in the past year. I wonder how that happens. Do they attend church just so that they can check it off their lists?

Shouldn't they expect to meet with the Person whom they worship?

On the other hand, I also know what it is like to hear nothing from God when I have needed Him desperately. I have prayed for relief from something which I believed hurt His church. I have placed it in His hands. I have spend untold hours crying out. I have explained why I believe this is not honoring to His name. I have asked on the basis of being His child. I have told of the testimony which is being lost because of His silence.

And yet, there is silence. Of course, I have to admit that there is silence now. It does not mean that there will always be silence about this matter.

I prayed for eight years and three months to become a senior pastor before I actually became one. There were long periods of silence during that time (about becoming a senior pastor. God often spoke to me, just not about that.) I had more than a few moments of despair. I knew that I wouldn't accept anything that didn't come from Him. I even turned down a few opportunities because they were obviously not His will. I kept waiting.

I knew I needed His touch. I knew I needed His hands on where I would serve. I knew I couldn't do it without Him so it made no sense to start without Him. I waited in His silence.

One day He touched me. The church who called me was clearly God's doing. Let me explain:

I was preaching in the church in Brentwood, Tennessee where I was an associate pastor. The pastor always took off the week after Christmas. It was New Year's weekend. You wouldn't expect many people to attend. That morning seven people made some decision for Christ. One was a little girl who was visiting her grandparents. She came forward to tell others that Jesus was her Lord and Savior.

A church in Houston was looking for a pastor and had received my resume'. They asked for a tape of a sermon I had preached. I always send the last message I have preached because I know I could send something that would be one of my best sermons and wouldn't be a good representation of my preaching. That New Year's Sunday sermon was the last one I had preached.

For some reason the person recording the tape kept it running through the introduction of those who had made decisions. The committee from the church in Houston was startled when they heard the name of the little girl. Her parents were members of their church. They checked with them and found that the little girls grandparents lived in Brentwood.

Now let's think about this. This little girl makes her profession of faith in her grandparents' church on one of the few Sundays I would preach. Her parents are members of the church that requests my resume'. This is the last sermon I would preach before they contacted me so that I would send them the right taped sermon.

I saw this a  touch from my Lord.

One day a leper came to Jesus and ask for healing. Jesus did more than that. Jesus touched Him. I wonder how long it had been since anyone would dare touch him. Jesus could have healed him without the touch but this is exactly what the man needed.

Sometimes we need more than just an answer from the Lord. Sometimes we need to be touched.

I am sure the leper had many days and nights of silence before he was touched. Some of you reading this may have also experienced this silence.

Maybe the Lord is just waiting for the right moment to touch you.

Matthew 8:2-3 (NIV)
² A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." ³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.