NOVEMBER 14 - And Can It Be?

NOVEMBER 14 - And Can It Be?     He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. -  PSALM 40:1 – 2     It was November 14, 1964, and I was in Natural Bridge, Virginia, for a Young Life weekend retreat. That morning as I sat on the hardwood floor of the camp meeting hall, I felt my heart open to the soul-stirring hymns they were singing. The words hit their mark. When the speaker asked if any of us wanted to embrace Christ as Savior, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and stood up. My heart wouldn't allow anything less.     Everything looked different during the meeting that night. Even the hymns. Now they really meant something. And none was more striking than "And Can It Be?" Especially the third verse: "Long my imprisoned soul lay fast / bound in sin and nature's night. / Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray: / I woke — the dungeon flamed with light! / My chains fell off, my heart was free, / I rose, went forth, and followed Thee."     Twenty-four hours earlier, I would have given you a weird look had you told me my "soul lay imprisoned." Bound in sin? No way! But now with the Spirit of Christ residing in me, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I had left behind "nature's night." It truly felt as though chains had fallen off. And it was the Lord who had made me alive — absolutely nothing I had done.     Can you recall that moment when you understood the good news for the first time? Can you remember how it felt? There will be people all around you today who have yet to experience that life transforming, destiny-changing moment. Pray for opportunities to simply tell them what happened to you when you stepped from darkness into light.     Lord, what a moment that was when I opened my heart and invited you inside. Thank you a million times over for drawing me to yourself!

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