i want to burn out bright

it’s a little before noon on Jan. 2 yeah, I’m still writing about Passion. There are so many stories to tell and as I go over them in my mind, I realize some can never be shared because they involve personal stories shared in confidence. But it’s my hope in the ones I do tell, you will be spurred on to keep chasing God in prayer.

And it’s so hard to put into words anyway what it’s like to pray with the kindness of God upon you, how He is there to hear and act upon our requests, so instantly. It’s just chaos of the best kind. Unbelievable.

So it’s a little before noon on the first full day, and I’m walking around the Global Awakening area. It’s divided into 8 pods that represent 7 areas of the world, with over 50 ministries involved. It’s quiet as they are preparing for the onslaught of students after the morning session, but I feel drawn to this area, to just walk around and ask God to do something NOW.

I stop in the Africa area. As I look at the faces in the pictures, I am overcome by love for these people. I can’t tell you what was written in that area, or who was represented. All I want to do is look at these faces and pray Lord have mercy.

I am very far from a spiritual giant, and if you know me well, you know I’m pretty self-involved, but these faces are really getting to me. I sense all the prayer that has gone into this campaign for months. Probably years for the ministries involved, for people to walk into these areas and be overwhelmed by God’s Spirit, His love for these people. To want to do something now.

"A Father to the fatherless..." Psalm 68:5 Sometime before the dawn of this same day, we pray this scripture in our intercession and there is an electricity in the room. Sometimes you just know in prayer when you've hit a nerve; it's like a zooming in of the Spirit, a tunnel you pray through until you hit light. We take authority for these kids as their own parents would and ask that they know their heavenly Father, to have spiritual fathers on earth.

Fast forward to the last evening... we have decided to pray over each person on our team, and ask the God to show us something to pray for these students through this. We get to Carol, a sweet gentle woman in her fifties, who prays with a peaceful confidence. As we get ready to pray for her, she shares something with us.

"I haven’t had a chance to tell you guys this, but I'm a widow," she says and pauses, "3 years ago my husband and I were on a mission trip in Honduras. On the last day of the trip, we were taking a group picture on a bridge and part of it gave way, and my husband fell to his death. He was instantly killed on the rocks below."

We are speechless at this and some of us are crying, including Carol. "So I really appreciated our prayers for the fatherless," she continues, "because my boys are in their twenties and are somewhat lukewarm in their faith."

The enormity of what God is doing hits. Here is this woman who has been praying with us all along, carrying this sorrow but asking for God to be a Father to the fatherless. How Carol’s story represents all those who have sacrificed, to the point of death, on the mission field. How her children represent so many of their generation, who have grown up in the church, who have grown up in ministry, and have somehow lost their way.

I think of the faces in the Global Awakening, many who don’t know their Father God. Who don’t have an earthly father. How as we asked Him to be magnified through our prayers, our lives, it's happening more than we know. It hits me like the wave of Passion hits the global mission field. It's just a lot for me to take, as God shows yet again He knows exactly what He is doing with every second of our prayers. He’s doing it now, and it's all about Him.

I’m still discontented down here…/If we’ve only got one try /If we’ve only got one life /If time was never on our side /Then before I die /I want to burn out bright /A spark ignites /In time and space….there’s still fire in you yet/ Yeah there’s still fire in you yet! - from the lyrics of Burn Out Bright, Switchfoot