God Is Our Lifeline

March 24, 2020

By Karen Makishima, Director of Family Life Ministries

Recently our youth ministry held a 24-hour prayer vigil where our students and team were encouraged to sign up for a one-hour block. For that time we were to be still before the Lord, seek His presence, and listen to His voice during this trying time of COVID-19. 

When I signed up for a prayer shift, I chose the 1 AM to 2 AM time slot. I couldn’t believe that I actually did that because I really value my sleep!

My alarm went off at 12:45am so I could be ready. Jason Waldrep, our Associate Worship Director, had sent the staff a link to a new worship song called, “The Blessing.” As I began to listen to it to prepare my heart and mind to connect with my Creator, I began to feel His presence right away. 

I spent time affirming our God for who He is and asked Him to forgive me for those times that I missed His best for me. Then I felt that He wanted to say something to me. I sat waiting and desiring to receive whatever it was that He wanted to tell me. And then it came. 

God gave me a picture of someone walking down a hospital hallway holding on to an IV pole. The IV was giving this man nutrients to live his life. The man had to hold on to the pole and take it wherever he went in order to live life fully. I sensed that the IV represents God. We, as God’s chosen people, need to hold on to God, our life-giver, to know how to respond to a world that is in crisis. 

As I focused on the man walking down the hall, I noticed that he was wearing a hospital gown with the back out (yes, his bare behind showing). I believe that through that picture, God was saying that He is stripping us of all the false idols that distract us from holding on to Him. This could be sports, academia, fine food and wine, programs, etc. He is stripping us down to our bare self so that we would hold on to Him.

Psalm 64:10 “The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; all the upright in heart will glory in Him!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we pray that we would allow you to strip us down of all the distractions that keep us from You, our life line. We want to feel your presence and hear your voice as we learn to lean into you. Help us to show the world goodness, kindness, gentleness and love during this time of crisis. Amen