David Wilkerson's God is my God too.

While many believers grieve the loss of this great man of God known as David Wilkerson, I find myself rejoicing. I'm not happy that he has died, I wouldn't have wished him to die anytime soon, but my Lord has taught me something through his passing that is fundamental. 


Some would say that a void has been created by the death of this dear brother in Christ. Well, let me encourage you. It is a void that can easily be filled. 


There was nothing special about what Wilkerson had, the thing that was special about his life was how it was used. You see, his life was only about the Lord, thats what we revered and what we miss having as a  walking-among-us example of Christianity as it ought to be. The glory brought to our God and the kingdom work accomplished in his life can only be accredited to Christ IN Wilkerson -- on his own he wouldn't have been the man we knew him to be. 


This is what is so exciting, this is what leads me to rejoice in the midst of the sorrow, the God that lived through Wilkerson and gained glory and advanced His kingdom through that yielded life is the same God I have! The difference between he and I is not the God we serve, it is the level of surrender to and abiding in my God that I have allowed Him to bring me to. 


This "gap" or "void" that has supposedly been created is easily filled. All it requires is a surrendered life to the Lord. 


You'll find that you can't even manage to surrender by your own efforts, but when He calls you and you answer, He will enable you to surrender. 


Perhaps before I was okay with folks like Wilkerson "bearing the load" on earth while I took my time in allowing the Lord to prepare me, but with his passing I am more motivated than ever to be made a yielded vessel say that I may be at the disposal of my King. As a dear sister put it, I am longing to be made simple enough to become an etcetera. May my testimony be that of Gladys Aylward and of William Booth who said, 

"I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China…I don't know who it was…It must have been a man…a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing…and God looked down…and saw Gladys Aylward…And God said - "Well, she's willing." 

[Gladys Aylward]

"I will tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I, men with greater opportunities. But from the day I got the poor of London on my heart and caught a vision of all Jesus Christ could do with them, on that day I made up my mind that God would have all of William Booth there was. And if there is anything of power in the Salvation Army today, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life." 

[William Booth]

~~~

Faithful is He Who calls you, Who also will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

"Not called!" did you say? "Not heard the call," I think you should say. 

Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. 

Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. 

Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. 

And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.

[William Booth]