An accounting of Face of Justice

God does not ask us to do great things.
He simply asks us to obey so He can do
great things through us.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Call to the Corner

by
Elizabeth Gilroy

Freedom Street Ministries is a team. What we do and where we go each week requires a team. This is true for our street ministry, our church service and our media projects. It all requires a team effort.  And this is particularly true for the prayer vigils we hold every other week in front of San Jose's largest brothel.

To hold these times of prayer and encounter, I (Elizabeth) need a team of women and men before we venture to that one corner in this highly charged and dangerous area of San Jose. Without a team, I cannot go.

Well, over the past two months I have had trouble gathering a team. Each week several people would agree to come only to back out at the last minute. Or I would have a group of women ready to go but no man. We must have one or, preferably, two men to go with us for safety reasons.

Whatever the situation, for two months the prayer vigils did not happen. The first time, I believed this was simply God's protection. The second time it happened, I began to question the people's commitment to this vision. When it happened a third time, I began to question my call.

Does God really want me to do this? Have I been doing this out of my own drive? Has God pulled His favor from this aspect of our ministry? All sorts of questions flooded my mind as week after week I had no team.

I continued in this manner for some time. Until this past week. As I went to God seeking His heart and direction for the prayer vigils, one day He spoke to me very clearly.

"You're missing it, Elizabeth. I am not the one keeping these prayer vigils from happening. There is only one person who does not want them to happen. Yes, there are times I keep you home for your safety but those are rare.

"I have asked you to be on that corner. It is your calling. You need to fight for it. Don't let the enemy keep dissolving the team and keep you from your calling. I need you there. There are people there who need to see me through you. Fight for your calling. Pray against the enemy. You have work to do."

I rose from my figurative knees and began to fight against the works of the enemy. I took back my calling. This past Friday night, a small team of strong believers and I marched to that one corner in front of one of the darkest spots in this city.  We prayed.  We loved on people. We spoke life.

Once again, God revealed His faithfulness and His call. The next few posts will tell you what we experienced that night. It is all further confirmation of the call to the corner.


1 comment:

  1. Hmmm....this reminds me of the days when I was doing outreach in GG park here in SF to the street kids. Getting a consistent commitment from people to do outreach regularly was like herding cats or pulling teeth. Every time a team came together it was miraculous. Some days there were just a couple of us - but God always blessed our time out in "the field." So encouraging to read about you waging war for San Jose! Sometimes the more opposition we face the greater the impact we are having. :) Love you.

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