Richard
Halverson was one of the busiest pastors I've
ever met, but one of the most available. When I
asked him to speak to a class at my college, he
readily agreed. But on the day when he was
scheduled to visit, I discovered that his
availability had an interesting limit.
We had agreed to drive together
to the class. But on my way to the church to meet
him, my decrepit Corvair began to overheat. By
the time I arrived, its condition was serious.
Fortunately I was fifteen minutes early for our
9:30 appointment. I spied Dr. Halverson sitting
in his car reading, so I pulled alongside. By now
the whining from my engine rivaled an air-raid
siren.
To my astonishment, he did not
even look up. He must be asleep, I thought. But
then he turned a page in the book resting on his
steering wheel--which I now could see was a
Bible--then turned a page again. By now our
vehicles were engulfed by a cloud of smoke that
would have made Moses jealous. But he never
showed the slightest distraction. Finally, at
precisely 9:30, he prayed, shut the Bible and
climbed out of his car. The smoke had now cleared
and my engine had quieted.
After greeting me, he suggested
(to my relief) that we go in his car. During the
half-hour drive to the college, we talked about
many things. But he never once suggested that he
had noticed any unusual noises or sights during
his devotional time. And I never mentioned that
I'd seen anything unusual either.
Good Timing
One reason the event is so
memorable is that it occurred on my first
spiritual anniversary. On that date just one year
before, I had committed my life to Christ,
largely because of Dr. Halverson's radio
preaching. I am one of numerous people who have
been touched by his ministry. But that morning
God gave me a priceless insight into why he was
so remarkably effective for Christ. Beyond any
gifts for ministry was the fact that he made it a
priority in his strenuous schedule to spend
personal time with the Lord, regardless of what
needed to be cleared away for this to happen. His
attention to the Lord had become so fined-tuned
that even the racket from my car did not distract
him.
It might seem that he was
indifferent--so bent on following his religious
routine that nothing else mattered. But he was
one of the most people-centered Christian leaders
I've known. As pastor of a huge church, president
of World Vision, and Chaplain of the United
States Senate, he gave himself relentlessly to
others. But the wellspring of his life was a
commitment to Christ which surpassed even his
commitment to people.
His life mirrors a principle
which I once heard Gordon MacDonald express in an
unforgettable sermon. While reflecting on the
life of John the Baptist, he noted that John had
a lot going against him; his social mannerisms
were bizarre, for instance. Yet he spent great
periods of time quietly before the Lord. This
reminds us, MacDonald said, that God doesn't need
a member of Congress, a dignitary or a
corporation president to do his work. He will use
anyone who is merely willing to take the time to
listen.
After nearly thirty-five years of
walking with Christ, I confess that making time
to be still before him still takes more effort
than I like to admit. It isn't that praying,
Scripture study and being quiet in Christ's
presence is hard work per se. Once I'm doing
these things I enjoy them, and almost daily the
Lord proves their benefit to me. What makes it
hard is that I have to take my hands off of other
things I could be doing at the time. For a
workaholic this is always a challenge.
Gaining Perspective
Several years after moving back
to Washington to begin Nehemiah Ministries, Evie
and I felt the need for a new home. Our family
was growing, and office space for my
ministry--which was operating out of our
home--wasn't adequate. Yet it was 1981; the real
estate market was at its worst point in decades
and interest rates were outlandish. We couldn't
afford to move, and the prospects of selling our
present home were nil.
For several months I spent much
time studying the market and reading real estate
brochures but only became increasingly
discouraged. Finally it dawned on me that I
hadn't spent any serious time praying about the
matter. I set aside two hours to pray and seek
the Lord's direction, even though it seemed an
intrusion into my "busy" schedule. I
decided to take a leisurely drive in the country
as I prayed, a practice that I've often found
helpful.
As I meandered around the rural
highways of upper Montgomery County, I came upon
a street I had never noticed before, even though
I thought I knew every nook and cranny of this
county where I've spent most of my life. On that
street was a house for sale--a home that
immediately seemed right for our needs! But it
would surely be too expensive. Within a week the
owner accepted a contract from us; the price was
considerably below market value. Within another
week our townhouse sold, in spite of the fact
that identical homes in our community had been on
the market for months without selling.
The lesson is not that my prayers
bent God's mind and constrained him to do
something he wouldn't otherwise have wanted to
do. This was not the "health and wealth
gospel" at work. What happened during those
several hours, I believe, was that God was able
to command my attention and show me a way to
solve an "impossible" problem. He could
just as well have given me grace to accept things
as they were. In fact that has happened far more
frequently than the more dramatic sort of answer
which came on this occasion.
But whatever his solution, I find
again and again that it takes time being still
before him to be able to understand it.
Whether you are a student, a
homemaker or someone involved in a career, I urge
you not to think of time devoted to being alone
with Christ as time taken away from the demands
of your work. View it, rather, as time invested
with One who is able to give you peace and wisdom
to carry out your work effectively.
But remember that Satan will do
everything possible to make you regard it as an
intrusion on your schedule. If that tactic
doesn't work, then he will bring into your time
with Christ interruptions which seem to demand
immediate attention. Keep in mind that usually
the problems can wait a few minutes while you put
first things first.
And when you do, you may just
find that the smoke clears away by itself.
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