The Party

5-21-09

Hour by hour the news continued to increase the negative impact on the people that were in the room.  The relatively small gathering consisted of at least one person representing every Tongue, Tribe, and Nation.  The nervous laughter that earlier had brought a temporary calm now drifted away like a fading wind.  No one actually remembers when the atmosphere took such a dismal turn, but hope was quickly shifting into helplessness and defeat.  People were whispering to each other things that were contrary to the badges they wore.   Underneath their names, words like “Victorious, Over Comer, Authority, Conqueror, Dominion Keeper, etc…" appeared boldly, declaring what they believed. Challenge is always the proving ground of triumph or trip ups.   Challenge causes the declared announcement to become faith fulfilled or faith flopped.  Challenge is the opposition that causes what is in the heart to be revealed.  The things that once brought shouts of Praise now seemed like lifeless titles… The News, Reporter’s reports, articles, threats, attacks and stories of what was happening in the earth all contributed to what filled the room; an unexpected response of fear.  Once powerful men and woman were now reduced to despair.  Fear on these faces was like the tangible decay that was ushered in with each taunt by the adversary.  The strength of the people was seeping out of them as if a small puncture had opened a gaping hole.  No more fight, no more joy, no more resolve.  These people were deflated and despondent.  Everybody was playing into the trick that the enemy had methodically laid out.  It seemed too easy!!!  The avalanche of negative reports halted any attempt of rescue. 

However, in the way a child interrupts an adult conversation so was the annoying smile that came across the lips of one of the guest.  The smile appeared to race through his body and into his limbs.  This was not the place and certainly not the time to be joyous, but He started humming anyway… Could this man take no more of the adverse setting?  Had he snapped and gone mad?  The man stood up and began making noises that sounded like a song, but resembled something more like words of invitation through melody.  The actions of the man were unquestionably out of place, but as much as it seemed right to ask him to sit down and inform him of his lack of etiquette, it was just as compelling to join in with the sound.  Although nobody knew the words, somehow the moment didn’t require them to.  This annoying, yet, mysteriously polite man started to dance and motion others to join in the movement.  The man danced to no music for an uncomfortably long time before anyone dared join him.  These people had been in a state of demise for so long that they literally forgot how to celebrate.  They had buried the wonderful treasure of applying victory to their life and situation when the report boasted otherwise.  Someone asked out loud “isn’t this dance irreverent and even a little silly when we recognize the urgent hour we live in?”  The One who started the Dance replied “My question to you is, were we making any difference acting the other way?”  Stunned, and a little hurt at the hint of accusation in the question, the person who first spoke forgot their own question and began to ponder what they had just heard.  The dance continued on into the night…joy began to fill the air and the voices of the concerned turned from the news of the day to conversations of hope.  The people had been filling their minds for so long with pronouncements of doom that they forgot their own voice; a voice that should be declaring dreams and destiny.

Out of 75 people who met that night only 2 remained unchanged by the odd event that occurred.  People who had walked in with their mind conformed to the thinking of the world were heard leaving with words from a transformed mind.

Funny, no one could quite recall the name of the person who started the dance, but they found a garment with the word Praise on the back…on the inside collar were the letters G.O.D.  Someone checked the pockets and found a note…it read, “if you find this jacket please keep it, it is now your Garment of Praise”

Bringing in His Kingdom,

Kevin Peterson