Emily Kpikpi, a second year Biochemistry student at the University of Ghana, Legon.
On Wednesday night
the whole church gathered for our first ever mid-week service. When Eli Ampofo
started leading us in worship I began to laugh, just in agreement and joy over
the words she was leading us to sing. At first, it was just at certain points
in the song, when I really agreed, or felt the truth in the lines, and it was
quiet laughter. But as we
continued to worship, I began to laugh louder and louder and longer and longer,
at the awesomeness of God, and what He was doing among us. I couldn’t do
anything about it and I knelt down, laughing still. And as God just revealed
more and more of His holiness to me, all I could do was laugh. And then I was
lying flat on my face, laughing and laughing and laughing. I was laughing
really loudly and unrestrainedly.
Although I have had a Holy Spirit encounter
once before where I laughed, I have never laughed like this. This was beyond
any laughter I’ve laughed in my entire life. I was laughing so much my stomach
muscles were feeling strained. I laughed and laughed and laughed,
really loudly - I was kicking my feet in laughter - and I knew I couldn’t get
up. I wanted to stop and I tried
to but I couldn’t. I thought I was
done at various points but as the worship time continued around me, the Holy
Spirit just seemed to come in waves over me, and my laughter would be refreshed
every time He washed over me, and I’d laugh louder.
Mum came over and began to pray for me and
I began to pray in my head at that time, that God would speak to me as well as
make me laugh, that as I was stuck there laughing helplessly, He would say what
he had to say. And as I continued laughing and laughing, God was revealing how
holy he is, and at one point I really wasn’t sure if I was laughing or crying,
at his holiness, and how far short I fall of it. But then God reminded me of
Jesus, and how Jesus came and died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins and
was raised to life again and that when I believed in Him, God gave me his
holiness. And the wonder of this
made me laugh more: that God
should make me, and be making me, holy as he is holy. And I heard from God that
there was much more to come. And the goodness of that just made me laugh.
Earlier in the day I had been standing
somewhere and had thought, out of the blue, what a great preaching spot it
would be. It was a balcony in a
block of flats, overlooking a large courtyard. Now, as I lay on the floor laughing,
God showed me that same courtyard filled with thousands of people, with other
people out on their balconies too, and me preaching. And that made me laugh, at
the sheer incredibleness of it.
And then I got up, and sat on my chair and
Aunty Dora began to pray for me. And Daddy came and began to pray for me too.
And as they prayed for me, I could see a bright light, so I opened my eyes, but
the room wasn’t as bright as it seemed with my eyes closed. But when I closed
my eyes it was super-bright, and it was getting brighter and I knew that Jesus
was coming closer and closer to me, as the light got brighter and brighter. And
I knew that soon I would be seeing his face, but I just couldn’t take the
brightness. I thought I would die. And I covered my eyes and turned my head.
And yet the brightness was all around me. I thought ‘Woe is me, really, my eyes
have seen the King’. I don’t know
how to describe the encounter. But I just know that God left some words on my
heart which I wrote down. He said there is much more to come; that we will see
signs and wonders; that we will see the King; that he has placed a joy deposit
in us. He’s going to come back and give us more and more and more. And I was reminded
of a song which says “We’re inheriting the promises of God.” More, Lord. Come amongst us. Have your
way. Be our Holy King. Make us holy as You are holy. We love You, Lord.
Preaching from balcony
Much more to come
Seen the king
Signs and wonders
We are going to see it
Joy deposit
We’re inheriting the promises of God
No comments:
Post a Comment