No Fame or Acclaim

A couple of weeks ago, one of our intercessors reminded me of a song the Lord gave me while I was a youth pastor, serving in obscurity, with no ambition or desire to receive notoriety and fame. I just wanted those inner city teenagers to know the Lord in a very personal way. I wrote the song from actual testimonies that were shared privately with Carol and me. The lyrics were:

A HUSBAND AND HIS WIFE AT THE HOSPITAL TODAY
PRAYED FOR HER UNCLE, HIS LIFE WAS FADING AWAY
THEY LED HIM IN A PRAYER TO LET JESUS IN HIS LIFE
SILENT TEARS SAID THANK YOU, THEN HE CLOSED HIS EYES

A CALL CAME IN ONE NIGHT, “SHE HAS SIX MONTHS OF LIFE.”
SO HE CRIED OUT TO GOD FOR HIS AILING WIFE
THOUGH NO ONE KNEW THE BURDEN, NEVER ONCE DID HE COMPLAIN
GOD HEARD THE SECRET PRAYER; RESTORED HEALTH AGAIN

WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE WORTH OF YOUR LIFE
AND THE CALLING WE HAVE IN CHRIST
IT CAN'T BE MEASURED BY TREASURE OR CROWDS
WHO APPLAUD YOUR NAME WITH GREAT SHOUTS
THE SPOTLIGHT IS IN YOUR HOME; LIVE CHRIST IN REALITY
THE STAGE IS AT YOUR BEDSIDE WHERE GOD REVEALS HIS GLORY

NOBODY WILL KNOW, BUT GOD WON'T FORGET IT
THOSE THINGS DONE IN SECRET; WITH NO FAME OR ACCLAIM
NOBODY WILL KNOW, BUT YOU WON’T REGRET IT
HE'S KEEPING A RECORD OF WHAT'S DONE IN HIS NAME

Carol and I still treasure those words in our hearts. We just want to impart that same kind of attitude and mindset to our church family: Be a faithful husband, wife, mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, sister, brother, aunt, uncle or cousin. Be a faithful employee, supervisor or manager. Be a faithful friend.

I find myself drawn back to this simple principle. The Lord has been moving on my heart and the next thing I know, I’m in tears of intercession. I’ve been in church and around the ministry all of my life. I’ve seen one wave after another and one fad after another. I find it difficult to put into words how pointless the annual conferences, revivals and events really are. Nothing changes while families fall apart. I want no part of it. I’m desperate for the presence of the Lord.

I’ve had a message prepared every Sunday for the past four weeks, but every week the Lord moves in a completely different way. We haven’t recorded most of what happens and in many ways, that’s good. We’re not trying to capture, package or market what God is doing. I can’t explain it. You just have to come and experience it for yourself.