One day, young Catherine was going to a church meeting. She was happy to be able to listen to a good preacher and thought about the pleasant evening she would surely spend there and the people who would probably meet the Lord there. On the way, she passed through a very lively neighborhood, where there were many people, many women who were strolling, chatting, going about their business when suddenly these words burst into her thoughts.
“Would you not be more useful to God, and behave more like your Redeemer, if you stopped in some of these houses to speak with these sinners and invite them to the meeting, rather than going there yourself for your pleasure?
She was taken aback and, while she thought about what she had just heard, This came to him.
“What efforts do Christians make to obey this command: ‘Compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled’?”
Immediately, she understood that God was speaking to her. She had a decision to make: obey or continue on her path. She felt weak, lacking the courage to approach these people, and she prayed. She asked God to give her the strength, and she went forward. She first addressed a group of women, with great effort, but as she spoke, she felt God's strength accompany her; then, she moved on to another group, her confidence grew, and she began to feel a real joy in witnessing for the Lord.
Later, more courageous, she went to knock on a door and spoke with the owner of the house, who seemed very touched by her words. He and his wife promised to come to the meeting. As she left, moved and with tears in her eyes, she was wondering where to go next when she saw a woman with a jar in her hand; she felt the Lord saying to her, 'Go talk to her,' and the devil suggesting, 'She's probably drunk.' Since the ground-floor apartments of the building were closed, she started a conversation with the woman by asking what was happening with the neighbors. 'Off to chapel,' the woman replied. 'And you, how come you didn't go to the service?' No, she replied, not in her condition, with an alcoholic husband at home who had to be watched so he wouldn't end up in the bar she came from to bring him his drink.
Catherine asked if she could speak to him. The wife tried to dissuade her, as the husband was already drunk, couldn't understand anything, and was convinced that Catherine would be insulted. But Catherine insisted, so sure was she of God's help. She Him asked for wisdom, love, power and the right words to touch the husband's heart. She found him drunk, slumped in his chair and spoke to him at length, God acted, he was able to understand her words and she promised to return the next day. The woman told him their story, she herself had known the Lord in the past, but, faced with life's difficulties, she had fallen into sin and had moved away from God; the alcoholic husband spent all his income on drink and the family lived in the greatest destitution.
God intervened and this family was saved and transformed. Filled with courage, Catherine then went to find others; and within a few weeks, several people were delivered from alcohol. They formed a small Bible and prayer group. A small, shy woman heard God calling her, responded, and several lives were touched. The key, not her strength, her intelligence, or her courage, but her obedience and her devotion to her Master. This is what brought about her spectacular results and exchange forever the destiny of these families. In telling this story, she made a vibrant appeal to Christians to respond to the Master's call.
Listen to her
“There are thousands and thousands of people who never walk through the door of a church… They need to be connected with a living Christ through the character and person of Her people. They want to see and touch the Word of Life in living form. Christianity must be presented to them embodied by men and women who are not ashamed to “eat with publicans and sinners”; they must see it looking through their eyes and speaking in tones of love through their voices; sympathizing with their sorrows, bearing their burdens, reproving them for their sins, instructing them in their ignorance, inspiring them with hope, and drawing them to the fountain that cleanses from sin and impurity… This is the work… It requires no human ordination, no long and trying preparation, no refined language, no great eloquence; all that is required is the full baptism of the Holy Spirit in your hearts, the Bible in your hands, and humility and simplicity in your conduct. Thus equipped, you will be mighty in God to pull down strongholds. You will succeed in touching hearts long since given up on hope and overcome by distress…”
Indeed, every child of God has not only the ability, but also the call to do the same. This means following God and not just what we arrange, we. God saw this man and all the others when she only saw her small meeting where she was going to be blessed. God sees people today slumped in their seats, overcome by drink, depression, uncertainty, anxiety, fear. He sees people confused, perplexed, traumatized by existence; he hears the existential questions that everyone is asking. He sees the wounds that refuse to heal, the rapes that no one dares to speak of, the recriminations against Him from people at the end of their rope; and He asks His church, from the smallest to the largest, to stop for a moment, make the effort, and speak. And Christians, like Catherine, have a choice: continue to go to their meetings, anticipating the pleasure they will take in the praise, the preaching of the word, and so on; worse still, continue to be concerned only with their own personal stories, or stop to influence the destiny of others and bring about deliverance.
God sees people collapsed, overcome by drink, depression, anxiety, fear. Share on X He sees people confused, traumatized by life and asks His church to stop for a moment. Share on XThis young woman is Catherine Booth who, as many know, later founded the Salvation Army with her husband, a ministry that has helped thousands of people escape from degradation and come to know the Lord of life. She became a choice instrument in the hands of God, a pioneer of women's ministry; but God already saw her and used her when her name was known to no one and all she wanted was to please her Master.
Let this be your story!
Shalom !
Living obsessed with one's life or choosing to influence the destiny of others and bring about deliverance. Share on X ...her name was unknown to anyone and all she wanted was to please her Master. Share on X
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