Read an Excerpt
I Saw the Lord
A Wake-up Call
I had been speaking in back-to-back sessions for three days, and that night I collapsed into bed, dead to the world before my head even hit the pillow . . .
Eventually the brilliant rays of the not-so-early morning sunlight coming through the blinds pried my sleeping eyes open. As I lay in bed, enjoying the warmth under the down comforter, my mind began to stir before my body did. My first thought was, Why is the sun up so early? Then my body stirred, and I rolled over to look at the clock. It said 7:30! For a moment I lay in a stunned stupor --- then I hit the floor with a muffled, 'Oh no!'
I was scheduled to lead the final morning sessions of my intensive seminar at The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove at 8:00! And the final sessions involved not only my giving a sixty-minute message followed by a commitment service,
but it also involved my leading communion for the first time!
Grabbing the clock, I violently shook it and silently demanded, Why didn't you go off? Now there's no time to prepare for all I have to do this morning! There's not even time to get dressed! I shouldn't have relied on you, you stupid clock! I should have asked for a wake-up call instead!
Have you ever slept through your alarm? Or found out too late that it didn't go off because you had mistakenly set it for p.m. instead of a.m.?
I will never forget the sick feeling I had that morning at The Cove when my alarm, for whatever reason, did not function. I had peacefully slept on and on and on, oblivious to what time it was.
I have learned the hard way that I need wake-up calls when I'm on the road in ministry so I don't miss something important. But from time to time, I also need them in my own life. The daily routine of responsibilities, the never-ending challenge of deadlines, the persistent pressure of problems, and the hectic pace of everyday life tend to preoccupy my thoughts and time with the urgency of the moment. If I'm not careful, I may miss something vital that God has for me --- something
He may want me to see or do, some blessing He wants to give me or someone else.
I believe this kind of vital message was delivered during the week of August 29, 2005. Two days before it made landfall, a category 1
hurricane suddenly exploded into a category 5 over the exceptionally warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Her name was Katrina, and she came ashore that Monday morning just east of New Orleans, effectively eradicating anything and everything for hundreds of miles. The
On more than one occasion, I have heard Coach Landry state that during his career he came across many good athletes --- but very few great ones. He said the difference between a good athlete and a great one is eighteen inches --- the distance from the head to the heart.
From his observation based on a lifetime of involvement in sports, he explained that good athletes have exceptional ability and a thorough
36 I Saw the Lord understanding of the game, but great athletes have heart --- a passion to play that drives them to selfless sacrifice, brutally long hours of practice, undivided focus, and ultimately, to achieve extraordinary accomplishments.
In almost thirty years of ministry, I have observed many good Christians,
like Coach Landry's athletes, but very few great ones. And the difference is the same eighteen inches --- the distance from the head to the heart. While there are many good Christians who have a head knowledge of Scripture, attend church regularly, are familiar with church traditions and rituals, and are comfortable with prayer, group
Bible study, and outreach ministries, there are very few who are great.
There are relatively few Christians who are in love with Jesus, who put Him first in their lives when doing so demands that they sacrifice their own time, money, and desires. There are very few Christians who want what He wants more than what they want --- and are willing to lay everything on the line to pursue it. There are very few Christians who are willing to risk their job, reputation, status, friendships, financial security, and even their life for the sake of sharing the gospel and pleasing
God. We just seem to lack a clear knowledge of God and a passionate heart for God that, combined, are the hub around which everything in our life should revolve.
Not only do some of us who call ourselves Christians lack heart knowledge of God, we don't even seem to have much head knowledge either. We know God's name and job description --- isn't He the One who lives in heaven and sends people to hell? We know Jesus died on the Cross to save us, but we're really not sure from what, although we have prayed and asked Him to come into our heart. And we know going to church is the right thing to do and makes us feel good. Besides, we can make nice friends and develop strategic business contacts there.
And spiritual gifts? Aren't they what we exchange at Christmas?
If we're honest, even though we're authentic Christians,
we would say that although we don't know much, the little we do know is more about God then actually knowing God Himself.
Others of us have exceptional gifts that we exercise in an endless variety of church activities. We seem to have a working knowledge of
God in our heads ---
we can quote Scripture . . .
we can pray out loud . . .
we can sing many hymns from memory . . .
we can list some of God's names with their meanings . . .
we can give a vague account of creation . . .
we can give a thumbnail sketch of the history of Israel . . .
we can define names like Abraham, Moses, David, and Elijah . . .
we can dramatize the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus . . .
we can trace the three journeys of Paul
(with help from the maps) . . .
we avoid the Holy Spirit and the book of Revelation . . .
--- and we seem to be satisfied that that's that!
Why is it that we, and so many others who call themselves by God's name, seem to lack heart . . .
for His Word?
for prayer?
for the gospel of Jesus Christ?
for a lost and dying world?
for each other?
for Him?
Our selfish attitudes and ambitions demand to know what's in it for us . . .
before we sacrifice anything,
before we give time (if it's convenient),
before we give money (if there's some left over),
before we tear away our all-consuming focus from ourselves,
our families and our friends,
our concerns and our careers,
our struggles and our status,
our pleasures and our possessions,
our bank accounts and our stock portfolios,
our exercise and our entertainment,
our debts and our diets,
and from just about anything else other than the kingdom of God.
