Past, Presence, Future

I remember shaking on the stage.

It was Youth Sunday at my church. Whoop Whoop! Exciting!!  We had prepared for this for weeks and today was the show-down where we took over all services. However, it was not so exciting for me because I was reciting a poem, in the first service.

Do you know how daunting that is? All the Pastors are in front row, mentors in the second row, not to mention my Mum and Aunt in the audience, who have never heard me recite before.

I sat all night trying to write a "suitable" poem. It is was not easy because I have heard amazing poems at the Youth church (The Garage) and I was just a novice poet. Regardless, I wrote the poem by God's grace and walked to church early before service, hoping for the best.

Amazingly, my friend who is also a poet was there. He had me recite to him before he did the unspeakable. He snatched my paper and crushed it before my eyes and threw it over the fence.

"Katai," he said. "You know the poem already. Where you are weak, God will help you."

It seemed like seconds before my name was called to the stage.

I stood there, shaking. I began to speak and looked into one of the pastors eyes. Suddenly, BOOM! all the memorised words completely vanished from my head.

I paused, turned from the mike and laughed in embarrassment.

As the crowd cheered me on in encouragement, I asked God for help. I suddenly remembered what my friend said ("Where you are weak, God will help you.").

I turned back, brushed off my shame and started again. As I spoke, new words came out and my voice no longer shook from nervousness. A new boldness came out as I recited a poem I never wrote. 

I managed to finish and walked off the stage in amazement. Some people came to me afterwards saying that they were ministered to by the piece.

From then on, it showed me what God's Presence means.

In Joshua 1, we see Joshua the new leader of Israel. God knew that being a leader for Him will not be easy. He then gave Joshua a powerful Promise of Presence.

"This is my command: be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

Life is filled with uncertainties and odds. Being a leader is even more challenging because you have to pave a path that no one else has ever walked before. The most frightening thing is going through it all alone, but from this passage, I learn that we are never alone.

When God ordains you as His leader, He will never send you to a place where His presence will not help you. God assignments need God's presence for His empowerment and fulfillment. 

Using myself as an example, I was required to recite a poem and I was not as experienced as the others. Not to say that you must not work hard to achieve the goals you set (I definitely could have practiced more). But at my weakest point, God instilled a new boldness in me to fulfill it. Where my strength ended, His strength begun.

Even as you go through this week, no matter how tough the situation is, God has promised to grace you with His strength to go through it and overcome it (#Dominion), if you trust in Him alone.

I will end with the words of Steven Furtick: "There is nowhere life can take you that God's presence cannot reach you."

Have a powerful week ahead!

#UnderConstruction

#TheBlessingsOfLeadership

Guide. Light. Inspire.