So what began as an exciting 19-day summer escape to Europe actually became a 19-day journey of experiencing crucifixion, transformation and resurrection. Traveling and living with four sisters for almost three weeks straight, regardless of the fact that we’re sisters in Christ, will still result in the individual self naturally coming up to frustrate and become the conflict that is commonly found between girls.
However, I just so appreciated that even at the peak of our “hatred” towards one another, after we met with some saints for a young people’s meeting, the sky was completely cleared with all offenses forgiven because we all touched and enjoyed the same Christ together.
I really do feel that the Lord blessed and graced us, even throughout every wrong scenario in which we commonly found ourselves (lost in the London Underground, miscommunications with the UK culture and language accents, understanding means of transportation), because with each conflict was the opportunity to open to the Lord and be built up with one another in such an organic union.
This adventure to Europe eventually culminated with the European Young People’s Conference in Poland, where the significance, preciousness and enjoyment of our birthright was revealed to us. The most vivid and touching experience that I can recall was the corporate pray-reading of Acts 26:16-19.
To see so many young people from all over the world in all different languages pray-reading, crying out to the Lord, exercising their mingled spirit, loving and praising God, regardless of where they had come from, where they had previously been in their spiritual life, but now claiming their enjoyment and declaring Christ, was just something I never really got to see anywhere else, ever.
I will also recall being so impressed with the need for so much more prayer. As laboring priests of the gospel of God, as the priestHOOD, there is the need and it is even our responsibility of bringing men to God!
But how do we bring men to God? As the Levitical priests bore the names of the children of Israel on their breastplate, so also should we bear our friends’ names on our hearts before the Lord in prayer! The priesthood is not an activity or a movement, but it is our living! We are priests! Luke 10:2 says,
“And He said to them, The harvest is great, but the workers few; therefore, BESEECH the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest.”
I thank the Lord the Word does not say, “The harvest is great, but the workers few; therefore, GO” but rather “therefore, BESEECH the Lord… that HE would thrust out workers…” So here we see the great importance of prayer! It is only through prayer that the Lord can move!
Brother Nee once asked, “Why do we work so much and pray so little?” I was just freshly impressed with the need for continual prayer! As I begin my first semester at the University of Southern California, I can testify that prayer, whether individually, in twos or threes or even corporately, is truly the key to the Lord’s move here on campus!
So just as well, for the Lord’s move in Europe, instead of thinking, “Lord, we just need to go and do stuff in Europe!” we should realize that we just need to pray so much more. As those who claim this birthright, we need to be those who pray so much more! Hallelujah for prayer!
[guest post, sister Elaine’s testimony of her visit to Europe and the 2010 Poland camp].
