From the desk of Steve Shultz:
AJ Butel shares a very tragic situation that a family at her church went through. God is with us ALL the time and is trustworthy ALL the time. We may not understand the "whys" a lot of the time but His LOVE will always, always remain. This word will be a great comfort for those of you who have gone through or are struggling through difficult times in your own life and how God wants you to lean on Him, trusting in Him with everything we've got. Remember that His strength is made perfect in our weakness...that includes the times we feel the weakest. Be encouraged that His presence covers you on every side!
Here are also a couple of great resources to go along with this word:
AJ Butel:
His Presence Covers Us on Every Side
More Than Words
Last month a tragedy struck at the heart of our church family. A beautiful baby boy, the child of our youth pastors, was born full term—but without breath. His parents named him Asa. Asa Jeremy Stuart. It means "anointed healer."
As we learned the news, we began to gather in prayer and support for Jeremy, Renita, and their family. We cried out passionately for the resurrection of Asa's littleness. And our hearts burned with the conviction that our God who breathes life would raise him from the dead.
We each held Asa's newborn earth-suit and surrounded him with the presence of the Lord. We rebuked death, stroked his sweet cheeks and declared life. We kissed his silky dark hair and spoke destiny over him. We shared testimonies of God-the-Mighty and His divine intervention. We cried. We worshiped. The room was electric. Our hearts were ablaze with expectancy and our hands buzzed with His power. His peace was thick and weighty like a tropical embrace. The young revivalists in our region spent all-night vigils praying, quoting Scripture and worshipping. Many Believers from across the globe stood alongside us and joined with our faith. And some, who had seen God's resurrection power at work in other situations, combined their anointed prayers with ours.
But I have to tell you...even though we unswervingly believed God, Asa's untainted lips never drew air.
Surrendered In Trust
As I write, I weep...not only because of the ache our hearts feel when we miss Asa; but the tears that line my cheeks are also ones of gratitude for the miracles we encountered as we all contributed our faith and love—in one accord. Steadfast in trust... Surrendered to His promises... We were in unity, abiding in Him—corporately releasing His presence. I marvel at the empowerment and resilience of love. There is nothing quite so beautiful and impacting as a community resolved in His love which never fails! It is the combustive atmosphere where Heaven and earth align—and miracles are realized!
Even when I saw Asa's tiny white coffin, although heart-wrenching, I had a supernatural peace found only in my assurance of God-the-Healer and adoration for God-the-Kind. We hadn't experienced our immediate desired effect of seeing Asa open his eyes or hearing his wee cry, but we trust in God-the-Just. We know He has promised to pay back seven-fold what the enemy attempted to steal. And try as he may, he didn't succeed in taking our love for our God!
Admittedly, the situation presented a loud and clanging opportunity to wallow in disappointment and anger, however I watched the most incredible phenomenon unfold in people's hearts. Instead of dwelling on questioning how Asa died and why he didn't come back—we continued to choose to lean into God-the-Faithful.
During this time, Jeremy and Renita contended fiercely for the life of their son. Their courage and devotion was simply spectacular! Moment by moment they drew strength from the One who had formed and fashioned Asa's perfection in the womb. And then when the time came, I watched them dedicate him back to our Papa, God-the-Father, who now embraces Asa with a love incomparable.
Such are the complexities of the Kingdom. Sometimes we savor victory, yet there are other times when our circumstances might not align with our declarations. Regardless, God is ALWAYS good. And He works all things together for good, for those who love and trust Him (Romans 8:28). I watched God-the-Merciful move tenderly to comfort their pain. Holy Spirit alighted His peace upon their surrender! He turned their sorrow to joy, and continues to make this exchange as they remain hidden and safe in Him. They are more in love with Him than they have ever been!
Craving Him
Throughout this time, we turned to the Bible story of Asa, and the Lord breathed His Word of strength across our hearts. As we read 2 Chronicles 14-16, we were introduced to this descendant of King David, who spent the earlier years of his reign bringing glory to God. He did what was right and good before the eyes of the Lord—he pulled down the altars of foreign gods along with all the pagan shrines and images, and he commanded Judah to search after God.
...to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers (to inquire of and for Him and crave Him as a vital necessity), and to obey the law and the commandment.—2 Chronicles 14:4, Amplified
He led the people to center their lives around God, to explore Him and yearn for Him as an urgent and integral requisite. And consequently their kingdom was rewarded with rest. The Scripture says that because of the importance they placed on God as essential within their lives, they had peace and prospered.
"The land is still ours, because we sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him (yearning for Him with all our desire) and He has given us rest and peace on every side." So they built and prospered.—2 Chronicles 14:7, Amplified
This is where genuine peace is found—in the heart of God. Sometimes, because of our desire for intimacy and success, we fill our lives with everything but God. Yes, it is very true that friends can satisfy much of our need for acceptance and relationship. Bubble baths and bush walks might bring rest and rejuvenation to the body and soul, just like skydiving, travel and hunting can service the call to be wild, to pioneer, to dominate. But these things cannot penetrate those places in our spirits' depths to bring a true sense of belonging, a real and lasting wholeness and refreshment. Only God-the-Redeemer can.
Only God-the-Wise can lead us to our fulfillment. Only the power of His Spirit will offer the adventure your spirit hungers after. And only God-the-Gentle can perform the surgeries you and I need to heal those hidden corners of pain and shame. Do you realize, even if you have managed to conceal secret areas from others around you, He knows every place within you? He sees all that can't be spoken. He understands even what you can't. And cares. In fact, He is smitten with you and utterly committed to your restoration. If only we would allow Him to be our everything.
Now let's have an honest moment right here... How about you? Are you burning a pure flame for the Lord? Or are there idols and images in your life that are sourced from the world and need to be dismantled?
Does God's heart beat through your agenda? Or is His desire dispensable to you? Is your relationship with the Lord crucial? Or is your focus on things, people, activities, dreams, ideas, or even sins that turn your heart away from Him?
If you are eager for peace and prosperity to reign in and through your life, then be sure to firstly anchor your faith, hope and love in God's heart, despite what storms might rage around you. For God-the-Almighty is the only one who has the authority to calm those waves and sustain His stillness. It's supernatural—and it's for you.
My Soul Secure
As for Asa Jeremy Stuart...he lives. He thrives within his perfect heavenly body, in the unblemished atmosphere surrounding the throne room. I have never been convinced in the accuracy of the epitaph: "Earth's loss...Heaven's gain!" Consider for a moment the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on...THEY benefit earth! I don't believe our destinies are extinguished when our spirits leave our bodies! There is so much more to discover, receive, learn, release, pray, love and create. It's just from another realm!
So, I believe Asa is being raised in the fullness of God's glory. And he is championing forward his beautiful and brave family on earth to the sound he hears so clearly—the heartbeat of God-the-Loving, whose warm lap he snuggles upon.
And as revivalists, we have an even deeper determination for seeing the dead raised. Through this journey, God-the-Glorious has emboldened our faith and strengthened our resolve to see bodies without breath come alive by His Spirit. But such dunamis (power) will only arise from abiding in His presence.
No, time is not the best healer, JESUS is! No matter what your pain might look like, HE can set you free. As you release this prayer, feel the breath of the Lord refresh your soul and bring life to those places that may feel hopeless and desperate. For He loves you with a love that is everlasting!
They found grace out in the desert, these people who survived the killing. Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them! God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!..."—Jeremiah 31:2-4 (The Message)
The Altar
Let's Pray: Lord, I'm looking to find Your rest. I don't want to be living a life that is stained by the world's influence and ruled by the trends of the culture around me. I don't want to find the answers to my passion within an empty counterfeit. I don't want to be a "realist"—earth-bound by the world's opinions. I don't want to be caught in the pain of the past.
Rather, I yearn to see Your face...to know You intimately. I want Your heart to hold premium prerogative in my life.
So I lay all my idols, rituals and wrong-thinking at Your feet, and I choose to align with Heaven...resting in Your presence, reassured by Your love, living breath-to-breath from Your whispers of wisdom, overshadowed by Your supernatural power, under-girded with Your amazing grace, surrounded by Your kind favor and basking in Your sweet peace—which passes all!
Let Your presence cover me from every side. In You I stay my hope.
Amen.
This article was published with the permission of Jeremy & Renita Stuart.
AJ Butel
Email: aj@ajbutel.com
AJ Butel is an encourager. She loves to inspire Christians to wrestle free from the suffocations of religion and to expect so much more than a regular mundane lifestyle. Her signature emphasis is to press in to God's presence, and from that place anticipate His inevitable, supernatural influence–in ALL things!
As Co-founder and former Editor of the popular publication ENHANCE Christian Women's Magazine, AJ thrives in developing empowering resources which transcend the bounds of generation, culture and denomination—and give glory to God. Her first book, called Overshadowed, has been one of the best-selling ebooks on the ElijahList for over 12 months.
