Let God Arise LB

A few months ago, churches in Long Beach gathered together at an event called Let God Arise.  It was a night of prayer for the city of Long Beach.  We prayed that God would arise in a few areas: Holiness, Unity, Love, Passion for His Presence, and Courage of the Holy Spirit.  We sang the song How Great is Our God over and over.  It was a beautiful time of worship and prayer in English, Spanish and Khmer. These are some of my reflections from that night.  They are written as a conversation with God.  I asked questions and God gave me answers.  I then embraced the answers and put them in my own words and applications.  The beginning of the blog is what I wrote that night and the end is my thoughts as we move forward.

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HOLINESS 
What is holiness?
Holiness is You, oh God. You are holy. 

How can we be holy? If holiness is something that is you in your essence, how can we be holy?
It is through Jesus. Jesus allows us to be a holy. Because of the salvation through Jesus, we as his children are made holy.

But how do we live that out, God? How do we become holy?
Through you, Lord. When you arise in our hearts, when we put you first, then we are holy. 

If that is how we become holy then, Oh Lord, arise in our hearts!

What does it mean to arise?
It means to be filled up and completely full with you. Overflowing with your holiness. Overflowing with your love. Over flowing with your joy. When we are full of these things then we can stand. We can arise like the mountains in the distance. 

When we arise we become:

• something others look to as beautiful, like the mountains, but we are only this way because You make us beautiful.  
• some place people can come to meet you because you are in us. 
• something that stands out and is different from everything around us. 
• an example of you in this city. 

We arise with you but first you must arise in us.  So, Lord arise in us. Fill us with holiness so that you can arise!

UNITY and LOVE
How do we express unity and love?

After tonight, we walk out as one people, filling this city with love. We are an army not with weapons, but with love. 

Imagine... if the church next to us wasn't strangers, but our friends. Imagine the difference we would have in our neighborhoods if we worked together. Instead of isolated soldiers, we become an army filling the streets, loving each other, loving our neighbors.

I see life and growth blooming like flowers in the spring, full of life like trees in the summer, not dying in the heat and trials of our world, but supporting each other. We are sharing the same roots that drink from the river of life. Like an aspen tree we all share one root, rooted in the love and unity of Christ.  Like an aspen, we aren't one by ourselves; we grow in groups. Where one of us is, more of us grow. We rely on each other - the WHOLE BODY of CHRIST. 

PASSION FOR YOUR PRESENCE

During this time God said one thing to me: "Just be still and know that I am God."
And he gave me this passage:

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.  

He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

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Now, as the days and weeks have passed since this worship-filled night, I wonder... Do people ever think of this night?  What did people take away? Have we as the church of LB grown in holiness, courage, unity, love, or courage of the Spirit?  How can we move forward from here so that it is not an isolated experience, but the beginning of God doing something great?

Once again, it is with bittersweet thoughts that I express these words.  Long Beach is a wonderful place.  I like to call it one of the biggest small towns I've ever lived in.  There is such diversity and such community here.  There is great need and great things God is doing.  I'm sad to leave this city and my church when I see the beginning of God doing great things.  But, I know that God will continue to work here.  God's omnipresence and faithfulness will never cease to amaze me.  As I move away, I will be praying for the work happening here.  I will pray that God continues to draw churches and communities together to make a deep impact in Long Beach and heal the hurting people so that God can truly arise!

No matter where I am at, Long Beach will always have a piece of my heart.  I <3 LB! 

My Mount Sinai

Not in the roll of thunder or the crashing wave, but in the gentle breeze and the still small voice, that's where I encounter God. In my seven years in Long Beach, I have had one place I go to in times of need, in times of praise, in times of solitude, and in times of reflection. A favorite place to encounter God through that still small voice and gentle breeze, my Mount Sinai. Although the city is bustling below me and there are many passersby on their daily workouts, on top of my Sinai, I found God.

My usual time of meditation begins with a run up the steep side of Signal Hill. Once to Panorama Ridge, I take a deep breath, feel the breeze on my face, and begin to pray. As I walk along the hilltop, I see the majesty of God in mountains, the awesomeness of God in the vast ocean, and the omnipresence of God through the urban sprawl of LA. In a city that seems so large, being able to see from the Pacific Ocean, to the San Bernardino Mountains, from Huntington Beach and the Port of LA to the Hollywood sign all in one place, makes us all seem so connected. I am reminded of my insignificance compared to God, but also my value in God's eyes as his beloved child.

Today as I wander this beautiful hilltop, I reflect on all the prayers, petitions, and praises that I have sent to God from this hillside. God has been so faithful to me over these last seven years. He brought a sheltered, shy girl to live in a big city all by herself. He blessed me with an apartment and many wonderful roommates and happy memories. Despite my fears of trusting, he gave me a church family that I truly love and who I know will continue to support me. In Long Beach, I have met many unique people and have had many experiences that opened my eyes to the world around me. So many firsts: from attending a public school, to partying with friends, to living on my own, to a first kiss, to traveling the world, to seeing real poverty and need, to getting married... the list goes on and on. I have grown in so many ways and I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for my time, experiences, and friends here in Long Beach. And at each of these turning points and new experiences, I met God here, on my Sinai. He heard my cries of loneliness and confusion, he rejoiced in my accomplishments and celebrations, and he continues to guide me step by step as he has through these last seven years.

As I run down from this hilltop today, it is very bittersweet. I have joy in all God has brought me through and faith that he will continue to guide me. I also have a sadness of heart with the realization that all too soon I will leave this behind. Yes there is excitement about the new things to come, but there are also uncertainties in the unknowns. No matter what, I know God will go with me even if my Sinai is miles away. Just as he guided the Israelites through the desert to a promised land, he will guide me through the unknowns along the path he has planned for me. I just pray that in the craziness of grad school that I will be able to find a new place where I can feel the gentle breeze, sense God's presence and hear that still, small voice. 

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For those I am leaving behind in Long Beach, I encourage you to visit my Mount Sinai (aka Signal Hill Park) and encounter God for yourself through the beauty of creation and his still, small voice. 

Also, I would love to hear about your Mt. Sinais - your places where you encounter God, so please share in the comments!