Pastor's Corner...
NOVEMBER 2009
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generation, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
I could only seem to find one day to set aside for the annual deer hunt in Arkansas in November of 2009. My friend Chris had invited me to hunt on his property between Russellville and Dover, Arkansas, just off Morgan Road. Just before getting on the stand around 6:00 am, Chris said that “A nice six point buck has been seen near this stand a few times already.” It was a bit windy and damp but the stand I was given was enclosed and I was able to stay dry and relatively warm. I got myself situated in the stand and got down to some serious hunting.
I was able to focus fairly well during the morning hunt. But I only saw a few doe and a couple of dogs chasing them. The wind was a factor. Chris and I broke around 10:30 am to go home for lunch. Chris informed me that he might not be able to come back that afternoon due to some business he had to take care of.
I got back on the stand around 2:30 pm. It was still a bit windy and I hoped it wouldn’t cause the deer to bed down. Around 3:00 pm a couple of doe came out on one side of my stand. Another doe came out behind me around 3:45 pm. My time was running out. The sun would be going down in another hour or so. I found myself doing what other hunters probably do at that point. I prayed. In my on-going monologue with the Lord I said, “Lord, they say there’s a nice six point close by. But I would really like to get a ten point.” Feeling a bit selfish, I added, “But I would settle for an eight point.” Then I asked the Lord, “And it would be nice if the buck came out right in front of me?” And I pointed to a place in the clearing about 20 yards in front of my stand. Uh huh…
Right at 4:00 pm I received a text message from Chris saying he was walking toward the stand and to watch for him. It was a bit misty and cold so when he arrived, he got up in the stand with me about 4:10 pm. The stand was a ‘two seater’ as we say here in Arkansas! We had pretty much given up seeing a buck that day. So we were just talking. 4:15 pm...4:30 pm…sun going down…but wait!
Around 4:45 pm I said, “Let’s just go home. It doesn’t look like we’ll get a buck today.” I put my hand on the door to open it when Chris suddenly whispered loudly, “Horns…shoot…shoot now!” Right in the spot I had pointed to earlier, a buck walked out of the woods and stopped. I got a quick look and shot. Chris yelled, “You got that six point! Good shot!” I didn’t tell him about my prayer. When we climbed down from the stand and walked up to the deer we discovered it wasn’t a six point. It was an eight point! We tagged the buck and loaded him in my truck. On the drive into town I was thanking the Lord for the eight point. Then my prayer monologue became a dialogue. I heard the Lord say clearly in my spirit, “I would have given you a ten point if you hadn’t settled for the eight point.” My heart sank.
I understood immediately my Father’s heart was to bless me. But I was a son who had learned to settle for something less than my Father had for me. My father is a gracious God. I heard Him say to me, “I want to teach you that I desire to bless you abundantly, more than you can hope for or imagine. But if you are so willing to settle for something less, I can’t. It’s time to learn this lesson once and for all.”
Now obviously whether I harvest a deer or what size his antlers are is not the point of this story. I live in a state with ‘a poverty spirit strong hold.’ What that means simply doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the amount of money you have. Arkansas is a wonderfully blessed state. It’s the home of the Rockefellers, Clintons, Hunt and Tyson families. The Walton family who founded the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart lives here. Arkansas is full of beautiful lakes and an abundance of wildlife and natural resources. My state has the beautiful Arkansas River that separates the two majestic mountain ranges, the Ozarks and the Quachitas. And the land along the Mississippi River is the most fertile soil this side of the Nile. Arkansas is the only state with a diamond mind in the United States! Yet many of the people here struggle in their thinking. A poverty spirit causes people to settle for less than or see themselves as not quite as good as or not nearly as smart as people elsewhere. This way of thinking can keep people from the destiny and purpose that God intends for them.
Maybe the point of this story was to bring me to ask myself, “Am I going to be someone who settles for less than my father God has for me?” I am not one who advocates a hyper-faith, presumptuous belief that God exists to do my bidding. I exist to serve Him. However, I understand that the One I serve is the King of kings and the Lord of lords! He does own the cattle, and the deer, on a thousand hills. And as any good father would, He wants to see His children do more than exist. His heart is to bless His sons and daughters. And as His children we need to realize that the Bible is true. God does want us to trust Him to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can hope for or imagine!
On my way to the processing station I began to wonder if I had heard from God or just had a very active imagination. So God gave me one more confirmation. At the check in station I met a man who pointed out a nice 10 point that had just been brought in ahead of us. I asked, “Where was this deer found?” He answered, “A fellow got him this afternoon between Russellville and Dover, just off Morgan Road.” This couldn’t have been more than a half mile from where I settled for an eight point.
As I come up to the end of this year, I’m resolving that 2010 will be ‘The Year of the 10 Point Rule” for me. Even in this current recession on earth, I remember that there is never a recession in heaven. In this season of anxiety, I’ll let the peace of God rule in my heart. My hope is that I will learn to trust God in a way that won’t allow me to settle for less than He might desire for me. Maybe you might want to consider the same thing!
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him—but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.” I Cor. 2:9-10
Yours for our King and His Kingdom!
Wayne Drain