When you’re involved in someone else’s life, it’s easy to get attached. When you’re ministering, and regularly sowing into someone else’s life, it’s almost impossible not to. There’s something about a worship team that feels so much like family it’s amazing.

We had practice yesterday evening with our Switch (youth) worship team. Not long into it, I looked up toward the back of the room and Tami – our Sunday morning worship nazi … I mean leader – was watching with her head and pregnant belly in the slightly open door. (During the first song, so my voice wasn’t warmed up and I probably sounded awful.) Tami’s cute anyway, but she’s especially cute in that she has this mother-hen thing about the worship team. It’s not surprising, given all the time and energy and prayer and faith that she spends on each of us.

Last night at shortly after 11pm, one of my little worship team chicks (as in baby chicken) called with what could have been an emergency. He was trying really hard, and doing really well, at holding himself together, but was clearly upset. We prayed together on the phone, and Timothy and I prayed again after we hung up … then I prayed in tongues until I fell asleep. I was confident the situation would be fine – because all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28) – but I wanted my worshipper to know that, to be comforted, to trust our Lord and to sleep well.

“…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love…” Colossians 2:2a

Check this out. Newsweek actually ran an article on the false prophet who will rise up to prepare the world to recieve the anitchrist when he comes. Read the article, seriously, it’s creepy.

The article starts describing the spirit behind this man, and how it has tried to manifest in various people over the years. “He is the Man who promises Arabs honor instead of shame, victory instead of defeat, empowerment instead of subjugation.” The author outlines almost prophetically the mentality that will one day allow for his overwhelming influence, and how this new guy – Hassan Nasrallah – might finally fulfill the role that so many have been defeated in before.

“The fervent support that Hizbullah enjoys will grow with a ceasefire and diplomatic settlement that sees Israel leave occupied Lebanese lands. Almost overnight, Nasrallah will have produced what three generations of ordinary Arabs have yearned for: military effectiveness instead of haplessness; political empowerment instead of marginalization; resistance instead of forced submission to Israeli-American threats.”

Interesting. The thing that gets me, though, is the list of people who have risen up under this same spirit and failed over the past 50 years. This should encourage the church in corporate prayer. We know that the key points of these last days are clearly outlined in Biblical prophecy, but we need to remember all the details that are not and pray to their ends. I’m convinced that the only reason Gamal Abdel Nasser or Ayatollah Khomeini didn’t come to embody the fulness of the spirit of the false prophet – the only reason the antichrist is not, now, at the height of his rage – is because of the prayers of the saints and the warfare the church has waged for decades. Be encouraged – your prayers are heard, your prayers move heaven, your prayers are needed.

The scripture verse that’s taped to my monitor today is 1 Corinthians 1:25, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” I read that this morning and paused for a moment over “the weakness of God.”

In India I gave a message to 800 stoic, steeped-in-tradition Indian teenagers and young adults on the burning, violently passionate heart of God. At one point I was trying to paint the picture of a mighty King whose enemies tremble before Him because He never loses a battle, the guy every man wants to be, who somehow gets butterflies in His stomach over this one particular woman. The point being, of course, that Christ is that King and you are that woman (even if you’re a man – it’s symbolism, come on). After I’d tried to build up the image of the Man that no one can beat or even touch, whom no one can figure out, with no apparent fine print or catch or weakness I mentioned His bride again and told them, “You are his weakness! You are the thing that softens the heart of the King of kings!”

My intent was not to imply, of course, that God is weak, or that the affection He created a person out of and for will in any way sway His ultimate ruling as the Righteous Judge. My husband pointed out that evening, though, that I hadn’t attached that disclaimer during the message. The Lord knows I wasn’t calling Him weak, and I petitioned forgiveness if I led anyone to that end.

Then I read 1 Corinthians 1:25 this morning and thought, “Even if I had called Him weak, his weakness is stronger than our strength.” If there was any truth in my previous oration, then, His love for you is stronger than you. There’s nothing you can do or say or think or believe that would convince Him to not love you. His love for you is stronger than you.