"But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You
know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have
been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the
wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make
us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and
teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to
do every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17
Well over two years ago the Lord
showed me these verses at a time when I was horribly discouraged by what I
seeing around me in our country and in our communities. I had planned to
expound more on these verses and never did. Way to go, Melody! J But here I am two years later and not much has changed, in many
ways things seems worse. However, the Lord is doing a sweet work in my heart
and lit a new fire in my heart for ministry. I believe the majority of that is
due to the fact that I finally surrendered to His call to rest.
Back at the end of March the Lord
spoke through my worship pastor, Tyler Rhoton, and our teaching pastor, Tim
Miller, one Sunday and the Lord clearly told me it was time to “surrender my
kingdom.” He had been nudging my heart for several years and I would take a
brief break for a month and jump right back in. But this time was very
different … I was serving on praise team that morning and during Bro. Tim’s
message on the Lord’s prayer the Holy Spirit pierced my heart as I sat in the
choir loft and said, “This (the choir, praise team and singing) is your kingdom
and I need it.” I immediately started crying. He wanted me to surrender to my
passion? ... my calling? ... my heart’s cry?
I was so weary of running from
Him that as soon as the invitation came I laid my mic down and made my way to
the altar. There I laid myself on the stairs and in deep brokenness surrendered
every area of my life to the Lord. I told Him that He could have it all. I was
completely spent, free and heartbroken all at the same time. Some friends found
me and helped me get myself together without fully knowing what was going on so
I could prepare to help lead for the second service. I went home, spoke with my
parents and prayed some more that afternoon just to make sure that this was
indeed what the Lord was calling me to do. That night I spoke with Tyler and he
asked me to pray about it for another week as he would too.
We both spent the week praying
and I met with him the next Sunday night after church. I didn’t change anything
about my quiet time that week. I read from the same books – “Jesus Calling” and
“Streams in the Desert” – and from the Word of God but I kid you not when I say
that everything that week spoke to surrender and rest. I had no other choice. I
had several friends and family members praying that the Lord would give
me clarity and He did. I shared this with Tyler and we agreed that I needed to
be obedient. The Lord told me that the break would be until at least August.
August seemed to be so far away
and yet not enough time all rolled into one. I had so much that I wanted to do
during this time. The month of April proved to be hardest month. It was the
month of silence. I couldn’t even sing with the congregation. It was just too
hard. So I re-learned the joy of worshipping from the heart. I believe during
that time the Holy Spirit interceded on my behalf through the groans of my
heart and turned it into prayers of praise. (Romans 8:26) And while I may not
have been making a joyful noise I believe the Lord received my silence as a
sweet aroma of obedience. (2 Corinthians 2:15)
My biggest fear during this time
was that I would be forgotten … isn't that Godly?! But it’s true! I was afraid that I would no longer have a place to serve and would lose my church family. Satan is
just so sweet like that. However, the Lord has allowed me time to rest
physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, vocally and even financially.
And I’ve continued to have opportunities to serve. But through this break the
Lord has refreshed my soul to serve Him and use my life for His glory.
Early on,
one person asked me if I was worried that God was going to take away my singing
voice because I wasn't using it. I told
them that since He was the one who called me to rest that I would leave it up
to Him. But now that I've thought about it I think my response would have to be
that it’s not my voice to begin with … it’s the Lord’s … I’m simply the vessel
that He houses it in which is why it will only be used to sing songs that bring
glory to Him.
So here we are … day 2 of July. I
have 29 days left on my intentional break time and I have to figure out what to do
next. Will you please join me in praying that my ears will hear what it is that the Lord is calling me to do and that I will be obedient to do so? I’ll share more
thoughts on those verses above later this week but I needed to share my heart
first. This was my original post that I shared on my other blog if you would like to read it Surrender Doesn't Mean Defeat and I'll do a follow up blog when the time is right.
"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you." Psalm 26:4-5
I love you all!
Blessings ...
- Melody Faith
PS: I read this earlier today and I believe it applies to all areas of life whether you are in an official ministry role or not because let's face it as believers everywhere we go is an opportunity for ministry! ... 17 Ways to Rest, Relax and Recharge
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