A Personal "Experiencing God" Story

In the wonderful study Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Claude King, they describe seven “realities” involved in learning to experience God:
1) God is always at work around you.
2) God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3) God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
4) God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
5) God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6) You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7) You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

My journey to become involved with God’s work on a full time basis came in 1998 when I was sitting at a music conference in Spartanburg, SC. But let me go back a few years. During my junior year of college at Wake Forest, I was asked to direct the choral group for the Baptist Student Union. I had sung in choirs since I was a child and, although I had no formal musical training, (then or now) I figured I could put together a few songs with the group. We would go out on Sunday evenings and present a musical service at area churches. One service was at a small church in Clemmons, NC. Following that service the pastor asked if I would consider directing their church choir which consisted of around 7 persons, 6 who were over 70 years of age. Needing the $25 per week salary to keep my car running, I agreed. For the next 35+ years, I directed church choirs at a variety of churches on a bi-vocational basis as I began and established a law practice.

That brings me back to August, 1998. Jim Cymbala, the Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, was sharing a devotional at a music conference I was attending. I have no recollection about what he said but during that devotion the Lord spoke to me like never before or never since. It was as close to the audible voice of God as I have ever been. The voice said “I want more of your time. I want you in full-time Christian service.” It was as clear a direction as I have ever had in my life. What was I to do? (See no. 5 and 6 above). We had a mortgage that I could pay comfortably on my lawyer salary but it would be a problem on a church salary. Could I sell the house quickly and find something more in line with a church salary? Would I need to change churches since Pleasant Garden had never had a full time minister doing music? What would my law clients and partners think? I had learned two things in my life prior to this event in 1998. The first one is that you can only be truly happy when you are doing the Lord’s will. Secondly, if you take a step of faith and action, the Lord will provide for your needs.

I came back from the conference and spoke to Pastor Mike about “my calling”. I also shared with my law partners. Mike talked with the appropriate committees and agreed that I should transition over a two year period adding more hours of work at the church each year. He also suggested that I add senior adult ministries to justify a full time employment status. That was another step of faith especially on the part of the church since I had no experience or training in that area other than the years I had directed the senior adult choir here. Just before leaving the full time practice of law, I settled a law suit for the largest amount in my 25 years of practicing law and was able to pay off my mortgage. I entered the ministry full time debt free on July 1, 2000. Isn’t God good! People ask me why I left the full time law practice. Was I unhappy? Absolutely not. I enjoyed practicing law and still enjoy going to the law office one day a week on my day off from the church. I did it because I had no other option if I wanted to be truly happy. The Lord has truly blessed me and my family as a result of following the Lord’s will. God does not call each of us to full time ministry but He does call each of us to be in His will for our lives. Have you sought what He wants you to do? Have you rejected His call on your life to move in a certain direction? You will never experience a life that is overflowing unless you are in the Lord’s will. Is it always easy to take those steps? No but you will never regret it when you recognize that your life is not your own and turn it over to your Creator to be used as He directs.

Paul Marth