DEVOTION
I'm Not the Minister's Wife…
I'm the Minister!
By
Martha Noebel
CBN Staff Writer
CBN.com
-- I have the rare and wonderful privilege of not being
the minister's wife, but I'm the minister. It is something I have
longed to be and one that has taken me down a long, lonely road.
But I have grown in God and feel so blessed to be taking this
step forward in the Lord.
As a child growing up in church, I learned that when the doors
of the sanctuary were opened, I would be there. There wasn't any
question about it.
Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, nights and
nights of revival services, it was my mother's job to see that
all of us children were there. If we had homework, well, we would
sit on the back row and finish it. It was never an excuse for
missing church. And we didn't go home until the night was done,
if you know what I mean. If we got tired, then we would lay down
on the pew and go to sleep. Momma was not about to leave until
she was ready. How I used to long to stay home on Sunday nights
to watch the latest Walt Disney movie. I never saw a one.
This mandatory church attendance provided me with a rich heritage.
It's funny now when I look back on my childhood that I can only
see the blessings of being in the house of the Lord with all of
God's people, worshipping and praising Him. As I grew older, I
found myself weeping for the lost, prophesying in the meetings,
leading prayer teams, teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible
School, and even preaching on Ladies' Day.
I remember the times when I would play church in my grandmother's
garage. I would line up the chairs, put the songbooks in them,
and preach to them and my cousin. I loved God's presence and developed
a real appreciation for the things of God.
At 50 years old, I found myself walking into the moment in my
life that I have longed to see. May 2, 2004 was the day I was
ordained into the ministry. There have been many years of seeking
the face of God for this opportunity. I felt called to the ministry
and attended Bible School so I could learn more about the Word
of God. I do not take this lightly, but rather appreciate that
God has truly been faithful to me. He put this desire to minister
in my heart and now it is coming to pass.
I want to encourage you. If God has put a special desire in your
heart, and you don't seem to see anything happening, don't worry.
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
(Philippians 1:6).
So you see, I am so happy to be all that God would have me to
be. I'm not who people said I could be. I am who the Lord says
I am.
Martha welcomes your responses at dvtd2hm1@aol.com.
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