Preserve That Mop!

[Please be sure to read the preceding blog, "Mopping up the Tears," March 21, 2011, before reading this one.]

I have a dear friend that wrote me back today with the above title: “Preserve that mop!” She commented: “How many preachers can say that somebody had to wipe up the tears with a mop?” I giggled myself silly! I have no idea why the lady in yesterday’s picture was so anxious to mop up the tears. Maybe she thought someone could slip and fall or something. Whatever the reason, she didn’t wait till this brother stopped praying. Also on the other side of the platform one of the pastor’s daughters was still praying and had been sobbing her heart out for the better part of an hour I think. I shot her picture, too, and was taking this fellow’s picture when I accidentally caught the mop in action.

Why do I ask people who are used to standing for prayer to come kneel to pray? I think there is something to be said for kneeling. Here in Argentina many people often gather around the front and wait, hoping that the wonderful “man of God” will come and knock them down with his great power. Down inside me I think this could be a carry-over from the Roman Catholic priest who was the only one supposed to be able to really touch God and had to sprinkle you with his holy water or something… whereas our Heavenly Father pleads with us to come boldly into his presence through the rent veil. Anyway this has become a custom, so much so that if people are standing in prayer at the close of a service and I approach one to lay a hand on them and pray, almost invariably an usher comes running from out of nowhere to stand behind and catch that person if he or she should fall. I know that God has knocked a few of us proud saints unexpectedly to the floor to whap some of our pride out of us, but I don’t feel comfortable when it becomes a custom and people are disappointed when they are not “slain in the Spirit”. Is that term even in the Bible anywhere? And I am not nearly as powerful as some of God’s better men who knock ‘em down on all sides. Of course then come their followers that, if they don’t fall, give them a little help with a not-so-gentle shove. In short, my secret is to try to take us all back to our knees. I understand that many of the elderly people’s knees don’t cooperate anymore and I let them stand or sit… ha. But I am encouraging these people to get down front and not wait for someone to come and knock ‘em down… but to voluntarily get down low and do business with God!

In these most recent services I have noticed quite loud moaning and noisy weeping by both men and women. And why do I give importance to weeping? Perhaps it is because weeping is normally a reaction to something that is happening inside one’s heart. One does not normally say, “Okay, I’m going to go down there and make myself weep.” Quite to the contrary. Especially for us men it is thought of as a sign of weakness. Well, when we get down there and really pray, His power sometimes overcomes ours. Our lofty prayers become lost in the tight grip of His love. Words lose their meaning and like that sinner lady that washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, we are overcome with the presence of our Master. I say, “If God is pushing those tears out from the inside, then let them fall!” Who cares about the mascara mess and the puddle on the floor? God is doing His deep work in the secret corners of the heart.

Ralph