I was ministering in a small impoverished area of the country not too long ago with numerous individuals who apparently struggled to even pay their bills and live a decent life. After the service one of the men I prayed with came forward to visit - I'll call his name Bill. Bill was unkept and smelled bad...really bad. It was almost nausiating to be honest. His teeth were rotting with black stuff on them and inflamed gums, and breath that literall hit me like a hammer. I was standing there trying my best not to make a face or show any outward sign that I was having difficulties being in Bill's presence. He shared some of his struggles and we prayed for him again. But what happened next will stay with me for a long time - hopefully the rest of my life.
In that moment, while I was thinking about how repulsed I was at the sight and smell of Bill, the Holy Spirit seemed to whisper in my ear something profound. You know, some people like to call that your inner voice, your intuition, that sixth sense, or something else. But it was as though a thought popped into my mind from out of nowhere, and I truly believe that the Lord was speaking to me. I truly feel that way for 2 main reasons. One, I believe that God loves His creation enough that He wants to be personally involved in each of our lives. Second, the words that the Lord seemed to speak to me were: "I love him too."
In the middle of my selfish thought about how repulsed I was with Bill, God shattered my world and helped me refocus on what He (God) was all about. God so loved the world didn't He (John3:16)...even a world that included folks like Bill, who love the Lord but life has not looked favorably upon. To God, we probably all smelled like Bill when we lived our lives without God - almost shouting that we didn't need Him (God). But I'm thankful that I had people who never quit praying for me and that God pursued me even when I did not feel that I needed him. He's pursuing you too...and I hope you let him catch you.
