Andrea's talk

I recently went to hear my friend Andrea at a Saturday morning brunch, the finale of a women's Bible study that was adjourning for the summer. I had never heard her speak before. I inquired on the phone what her topic would be and she had ideas but was waiting on the Holy Spirit. That was the evening before the talk.

I showed up early enough for her and me to get alone in a room and pray beforehand. She was still waiting on the Holy Spirit.

Andrea walked to the front of the room---sans notes---after being introduced. I have done retreat speaking and I bring up notes containing every word of the 45-minute talk. And because I realize it's deadly to read to an audience, I also have, behind that main stack, my set of condensed notes.

Those are less than ideal too, for obvious reasons---there is so much detail missing that I may forget. Let me add that on both sets of papers there are several kinds of notations: yellow highlighter (main topics), underlining (subsidiary points), asterisk (super-important). Could the Holy Spirit even break in if He wanted to? Of course He could; God can do anything.

Andrea started praying when she was left standing there alone before us, and without so much as a seam, her prayer became her address and her address became our usher into the presence of God.

So the Holy Spirit showed up, and we all saw Jesus.

The devil shows up at these functions too. He hears some of us saying within ourselves, "Jesus is amazing." And with a flick of the wrist he changes that to "Andrea is amazing," and "Look how filled she is with the Spirit." And that to "Look how they all hang on her every word." And that to "I want to be a speaker like Andrea."

And God, who sees the heart, can somehow tell, sifting through those inaudible, self-seeking wishes, which woman is an Elisha asking, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me" (2 Kings 2:9), and which is a Simon saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:19).

To hear commentaries by Andrée Seu, click here.