A Free Gift

Have you ever received revelation as you are speaking? It may be referred to as intuition, a thought, a stroke of genius, or, just revelation. It often happens to me as I am preaching. Here I stand in the pulpit before 5000 people (alright, 50 people. I was just checking to see if you were paying attention) and I am speaking from my meticulous notes that has taken me hours to write and rewrite. I have spent another hour or two sifting my thoughts and practicing my eloquent delivery (just checking again!). Now, I stand before my awe stricken audience waxing eloquent and BAM!!! – it happens. God speaks!

Hurriedly, I do a mental inventory of my notes and what is supposed to come next, and this thing that God is speaking to my mind isn’t there! Thankfully, God speaks so quickly that He bypasses my mind and goes directly to my mouth and the words have already escaped my lips before I can finish my inventory. Revelation!

The people love it. I can see it on their faces as I speak. Suddenly, there is life in what I am saying, and drooping eyelids spring open. I can see mental light bulbs coming on above their heads just like the tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost. I, or should I say, the Holy Spirit has connected. From somewhere toward the back I hear a hearty AMEN! It spurs me on. The floodgates open and God speaks again, and again, and again. The people are renewed. I am renewed. The message is a keeper. I, and God’s people, have been rescued from another well thought out, slightly less than remarkable treatise on some doctrinal thought.

It happened just yesterday. My four pages of well written notes took on life as God brought revelation. The topic started out as Freedom. Five minutes into the sermon it took on a semblance of Making Decisions, but then God rewrote the script and it finished as Wisdom. It wasn’t until the prayer at the end that I received a personal revelation that wisdom is completely free!

All the things that we desire and work so hard to achieve are ours through wisdom. You can find it right there in the Book.

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding.
For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold.
She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.
Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. (Proverbs 3:13-17)

Long life, riches, honor, and that thing which almost every contestant for Miss America desires – peace! It is all to be had through wisdom, which is free for the asking (James 1:5).

Wisdom. I want it, I need it, I have it.