Watch Night Service. . .2011

Last night as we gathered with other Believers in our local church's annual

"watch night" service saying goodbye to 2011 and welcome to 2012. . .

I felt the Lord/LORD speaking to my heart.

What a wonderful feeling, the Lord speaking to me through the songs and messages!

We started off the service with the band playing, "A Better Way"

It was so full of powerful memories of Bro. Clyde Patton singing from the

bottom of his heart, "Oh I KNOW this is the way. . .

for it's changing my life each day. . ."

In my mind I could see him with his head thrown back and that big smile

on his face.  He knew he'd found The Way!

The second song we all sang was Sis. Wanda Perry's

"I'm Still Here. . .Thank You

Lord for leading me this way. . .the vision you gave me,

grows clearer every day. . .

I realize Lord, you could have chosen others in my place. . .

But I'm so glad I'm in this race and I'm still here."

One verse of that song says,

"Many you had called had talents greater than my own. . .

God could have used them if within their hearts the truth had grown. . .

But it takes the love of God to keep you in this place.

Grace and mercy He extends to those who seek His face. . .

and I'm still here. . ."

I felt the power of those words. . .

I'm still here because I'm still seeking His face,

 not because I'm the most talented. . .but because I am seeking His face.

If I want to go, no matter what the cost. . .

I will need to keep saying, "Yes, I'm willing."

During the singing of that song. . .and the one following,

("Look Where the Lord Has Brought Us")

I was looking around at the crowd

noticing who was "there" and who was "missing".

I had been sick all day long with really severe pain

and almost didn't get to be there.

It would have been the 1st time I'd miss a watch service in one of our churches since I started coming to them when I was seven years old.

I really wanted to "be there" for the Lord's New Years Get-to-Gather.

Tom prayed for me and helped me get the courage to "go in faith".

So as I was missing different ones, feeling sad that they weren't there,

I thought - would the Lord even notice that I wasn't here if I had missed?

Would He look down and say, "Where's Karen? She's always here."

or would He look down not even missing me

because He didn't even expect me.

Oh, sad thought, that the Lord wouldn't even expect me to respond

to a gathering with His people. . .

Or that He wouldn't even care that I failed to show-up.

Then again, if I weren't ever faithful would He look down and see me thinking. . .

"Wow, would you look at that, Karen is here tonight!

 I never expected her to come she's usually a no-show."

In life there are times when I've had a gathering at my home and invited different people. .

or a dinner for the older ladies. . .

sometimes I've invited people and they didn't come when I asked. . .

then I'd maybe invite them again the next time and again. . .

but finally after they continued to refuse/excuse themselves from my invitation I quit asking them to come.

I realized they weren't interested in coming they had things they'd rather do.

Some people who say they don't "feel like the Lord is asking them to come" may be correct.

He may have quit asking them since He's tired of being rejected.  

He will finally take us off His invitation list.

How sad it would be to lose that feeling of excitement and expectation of getting together with Him, at His house, with His  family.

It was an excellent service.

Bro. Gary said, Partial Obedience = Disobedience.

Saul partially obeyed the Lord Samuel 15. . .

He tried to "make up" for his lack of full obedience by giving God "sacrifices" of the things he was to have destroyed. . .

this didn't please God and was in fact evidence of stubbornness.

In the end, the very things God had asked Saul to destroy . . .destroyed Saul.

There were more good songs. . ."Keep On The Firing Line",

"We Cannot Come Down, We're Building a Wall" and

"God Is Good All The Time"

More good talks and a very powerful testimony full of the holy ghost

by Bro. Nate Patrick.

At midnight, amid people praising the Great God of Heaven the band began playing,

"Good Bye World, Good Bye!"

And I was there. . .I was still there. . .Thank You Lord!

"Lord, please keep renewing my desire to be with your people.

Help me always to have a "dish" to share and a hunger to eat what others

put on the table. Help me to realize the importance of "being there" for

You, for me and for the building up of the church.

In everything that I can obey in, I will obey!

Help me Lord to realize you are the one who knows best. . .not me.

Help me to cut all ties with things that will destroy. . .things that will cause me to fail.

Amen." krp

Note: The Lord touched me on the way to church and I continued to feel better and better as the

service progressed. . .by the time it ended I felt no pain.  God is good.

Another note: I also recognize that there are times our health or circumstances will
cause us to miss a service. . .and God understands.
My daddy couldn't come to service the last month of his life. . .this was a very sad loss
for him. . .he loved church service and was always "on duty" since he started following
the Lord. . .even when he was in another city he would try to make all the services in that town. . .
during that last month or two he would sometimes call the church and ask them to hold the phone
where he could hear them singing the songs of Zion or praising. . .God understands.