That evening, Blake got a call from Nikki, “I just wanted to thank you for praying for Brittany.”
Blake asked, “So what has happened since we left last night?”
“It hardly seems like that was just last night.” said Nikki. “Brittany and I sat up and talked and prayed well into the night. We got a few hours sleep, then I drove her down to a Christian rehab farm down below Richmond. They will work on getting her body dried out while re-aligning her faith. They have a good program. While the Lord did an incredible work in her life last night, Nikki has to learn again to rely on God for her strength. That process of reestablishing her faith takes time.”
“So how is she feeling about all this?” asked Blake.
“She is bouncing between being grateful and scared. She seems so much like a child right now, so very vulnerable. This is a big change from the almost arrogant attitude she had a few days ago where she knew she was doing the right thing for herself and it was nobody's business but hers. She has been broken, now God can work in her heart.”
“So what about Sabrina?”
“Last night she stayed with Mary, one of the girls that prayed, who is my neighbor. Then, this morning another sister of mine, Anna, came and got her. Anna has 4 kids. Sabrina will have a good time there.”
Blake asked, “And how are you doing?”
Nikki paused, as if taking stock of how she was doing, “I am tired, but I really feel good. I am positive God has his hand on Brittany. He wants to see Brittany live her life for Him and to raise Sabrina to follow Christ. I am in awe of how good He is.”
“This whole thing has really opened my eyes.” said Blake, “I have seen sides of Him that I never dreamed ever existed.”
Nikki said, “I know what you mean. Even though He tells us everything in the Bible, He still manages to astonish us day after day. It is like we know all these things in our head, but when we experience them, it is totally different. It is like He knows that we can't hold onto our faith, so He has to give us new faith all the time.”
Blake chuckled, “You know what's funny? Not so long ago, I really believed that going to church was what Christianity was all about.”
“There are so many people that are in that boat. It is so sad. It is like living on a diet of plain oatmeal and not recognizing that there is a world of wonderful foods out there.” said Nikki.
“Speaking of which, I always enjoy talking to you, but it was really nice actually seeing you last night. Why don't we get together and have dinner sometime.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line and Nikki finally said, “Blake, I would absolutely love to do that. I really enjoy our phone conversations and I would like very much to get beyond the phone, but I'm going to give you a piece of advice and I'm going to help you follow it. Give it some time. While I know that you are terribly lonely right now, you are also vulnerable. This is not a time to start dating. It would be altogether too easy for there to be very bad consequences from trying to develop a relationship in your current state. Even if you feel like you are healing and ready, you still have an open wound that needs additional healing time. So, yes, I would love to have dinner with you and would like to agree to go out tomorrow, but I’m going to agree to go out in May, after you have had a full year of healing time.”
Blake laughed, “I guess I should have known that I wouldn't get an answer I expected from you. You amaze me. OK, it’s a date, you and I going out to dinner, in April. Talk about planning in advance!”
Nikki said, “I hope you're not upset, but I really think it is best for you.”
“No, I'm not upset. In some ways I am relieved. You are right about my being lonely, but whenever I think about a woman, as a woman, I feel guilty, like it is wrong or unfaithful to Elaine.”
Nikki asked, “So how's your journey going?”
Blake smiled as he said, “My journey, huh? Well, I feel pretty good about it. Of course, last night's experience gave it a big boost. This morning, the Lord led me to a verse in second Timothy that talks about being a special instrument that is useful to the Master48. It really spoke to me about needing to make myself useful to God. After seeing what He did for Brittany, I want to see that kind of power working through me to help people.”
“That's good,” said Nikki, “just make sure that you really want it for Him and on His terms and that you don't have it in mind as anything that brings you glory. That is a trap I have seen people fall into before.”
Blake thought for a moment, then said, “I don't think that's what's going on, but I would be lying if I said that personal glory didn't cross my mind.”
“Satan will try to corrupt everything that is good,” said Nikki “because that's what he does. If God performs a miracle when you pray, you have to remember that He didn't do it because you prayed. Instead, view it as a miracle He performed of His own volition and He allowed you to be a participant in the process. If you are faithful to the Holy Spirit, you will pray about what He wants you to pray about, when He wants you to pray about it. Then, sometimes, He will choose to perform a miracle in association with the prayer. There is an odd relationship between the one who prays and God. While there are some Scriptures that make it sound like God responded just because somebody prayed, for me, that is a dangerous line of thought, because that starts blurring the line between servant and Master. Then, I might start thinking I am significant in this relationship with God. That makes me much too easy a target for Satan. He would have me praying for things that gave me glory and satisfaction, but then I would no longer be a submitted servant of Jesus, I would be unable to do anything for Him. Satan would love that.”
“It seems he has temptations around every corner.” said Blake.
“Sometimes I think that getting rid of temptations, once and for all, will be the best part of Heaven. It won't really be the best part, but it will be great to never have to fight one off again.”
Blake asked, “OK, I'll nibble. What's going to be the best part?”
“That's easy. You remember the sensation while we were praying last night? That was just the tiniest little taste, just a shadow of what it will be like to live in His pure presence.”
Blake said, “Wow!”
“Being right in the presence of the Lord is going to be beyond any pleasure we have ever experienced. Revelation says that we won't need any lights in Heaven because his presence will be so bright49. I just can't wait.”
“I never really thought too much about heaven, past seeing Elaine again.” said Blake.
“I don't mean this to minimize your love or anything, but based on what I read, I don't expect that seeing Elaine is going to be the biggest thing; once you actually get there.”
Blake said, “That's why I enjoy talking to you, you have this way of opening up my eyes to things I never imagined.”
Burst Into Flames: A Parable Page 22
