Brother Isaac was a very well kept man. He reminded me a lot of a friend of mine Jim. He wasn't rich or flamboyant in dress, but he took pride in his appearance. The first time that I saw him, we were waiting for a boat and he was sitting on a nearby log engrossed in a book. His baseball hat was clean and crisp. He wore a western style shirt that had been neatly pressed. His pants were wrinkle free and were a deep vibrant blue that only comes with new denim. The boots on his feet were slightly worn but polished to cover up any blemishes and of course his belt matched his boots. My friend Lalo approached him first and inquired him about about the book he was reading. His eyes lit up with a deep burning fire as he told Lalo that it was the New Testament. Isaac was a believer as well. For the next several minutes Isaac shared prayer request, testimonies, and his passion for God.
We had arrived to the dock later than we had planned. All of the public boats were long gone and we were going to have to call a special boat to come pick us up. The price was going to be about double. God had orchestrated otherwise. We found out that Isaac lived in nearby San Pedro and he owned his own boat. He told us that we would drop us off on his way home. We only had to help with the gas. The total cost was much less than the cost of even the public boat fares. God always provides a way.
We loaded all of our groceries, backpacks, and other junk into his boat and we were on our way. The boat ride over was rather uneventful up until about half way. I had caught a glimpse of Isaac several times with a grimace on his face. He had not said much since we got on the boat. He seemed like he was pained about something and he began to rub his chest. Then abruptly in the middle of the lake, he stopped the boat. I thought maybe this poor guy was having a cardiac event in the middle of nowhere. Andrew conveyed to me later that, “I was afraid this was the time when the machetes come out.”. We had not a clue what he wanted. Isaac then silently walked to the middle of the boat. He said that he wanted us to pray for him. So the 4 of us got up and moved to where he was (which it is a small miracle in itself that then and there that we didn't capsize the boat) and we all prayed for Isaac. I am sure it was a sight to see 5 people standing in a boat in the middle of a lake with heads bowed praying. It was after we prayed for him, that I believe his true motives were revealed. When we finished our prayer he launched into his own prayer for us. It was very deliberate and purposeful. It blessed us greatly.
That day we had made a new friend. Before he continued on to San Pedro, we shared coffee and fellowship with him. He is a great guy. What stuck with me was his obedience to the Holy Spirit despite whatever pride, discomfort, or embarrassment he was experiencing. Many times it seems the Holy Spirit tells us to do the strangest things at the strangest times, but in our obedience there lies power. Some might discredit him for being slow to act upon the prodding of the Holy Spirit, but I applaud him for being sensitive enough to recognize the moving of the Spirit. Are we so sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives that we would obey like Isaac? Would we even know that God was talking until it was too late? My experience is that we are too easily caught up in ourselves and our world when we are outside of the church walls. In our daily lives we barely even hear God speaking sometimes. I pray that I always have such a daily, hourly, minute by minute conversation with the Lord that if I delay even 10 minutes in doing His will that I know it and are pained as our brother Isaac.
My prayer on the island has been that God fill me completely with His Spirit. I may be emptied so that He can fill me with His transforming Spirit. I have also prayed that the Holy Spirit guide our every step, orchestrate every conversation, and fill every moment with His love and peace. The results of that prayer have been amazing. We see the island being saturated with God's love. When we are out ministering people are finding us and are being compelled by Christ to ask for prayer or to inquire more about our Lord Jesus. I feel Brother Isaacs prayers, along with yours as we minister. Let us all be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be so humble to His commandments that we are listening to every word that He speaks. Let us be like Isaac and obey when God tells us to “Stop the boat!”.
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