Numbers 11:24-26 (New International Version, ©2011)
“So Moses went out and told the people what the
LORD had said. He brought together
seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent.
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him,
and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him
and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them,
they prophesied—but did not do so again.”
(Looking into the eyes of these men and women (some grandmothers, I’m sure),
it is obvious this is not enjoyable, albeit a few. No, what I saw were
people who more than likely have no means to make money in their
own countries. I felt both compassion and disdain, yet know
that I can’t begin to understand what their situation must be.
It does compel me to support and pray for those working “in the field,”
like friends Kim and John Quinley of Step Ahead Med (www.stepaheadmed.org),
who tirelessly work to help bring light to those enclaved in cyclical cultural poverty.)
This profound portion of scripture really shook me today as I sit in a cafe on the Las Vegas Strip. Never, and I mean never, have I been so deeply “gutted” by a city. Many love this place, so I am not sitting in judgment, but for me, it will not be easily digested. Perhaps knowing the “little bit” I know of sexual exploitation/human trafficking, is the reason I find myself aghast at the exploitation of women here in Vegas. I’m trying to look at the beautiful architecture, the grand gardens at the Bellagio, the facades of the Eiffel Tower, Roman Coliseum, and Excalibur, the luxurious Miracle Mile of shops, and the interesting replication of the canals of Venice, but oh, oh, oh, I can’t get beyond the disturbance in my spirit.
We can never forget that Jesus gives beauty for ashes.
Knowing there are women and children “behind the scenes” living in the hellacious (sp?) grip of prostitution, just disturbs me. And, it should. So, I’ve walked and prayed and walked and prayed. I know there are people and organizations (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341534,00.html) fighting behind the scenes, as well, on their behalf. In fact, as I sit here, I face “The Body Shop” who adorns posters against sex trafficking and in when I finish, I will go and applaud them.
In stark contrast to my time in Las Vegas stands my time in Sedona, AZ and The Grand Canyon just days prior. Worlds apart, yes, but both part of the world we live in. The Lord gently reminded me that I must be “in the world and not of the world” and therefore, need times of refreshment and renewal. That is the example Jesus set for us. In light of this, let me share the sweet time I had, sitting next to a bubbling brook, the day before coming to Vegas. It was a holy few moments of deep peace. I soaked it in. Now, I pray you can soak it in. I know you are living “in the world” and perhaps haven’t had the chance to get away from it all. Maybe, just maybe, the deep peace I felt will somehow translate across a simple video. Just as the power of the Spirit that was on Moses (Read Numbers 11:24-26)—and I know I am no Moses—fell on the seventy elders around him, I pray the power I felt by that brook, falls on you. Find a quiet spot. Let the power of that spirit-filled wind and sound of that spirit-filled brook, fill you with resurrection power. Thank God I recorded it because as I sit here, amid the “strip” of Vegas, I can still “re-mind” myself of that moment.
Hope Springs Eternal
We have work to do. The world needs Jesus. May we be filled to overflowing, like a bubbling brook and a mighty force of wind, to share the gospel of Jesus. Darkness will be overcome.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhofp_vJJpo&feature=player_embedded]
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