Misty Edwards
By Suzanne O'Keeffe, 700 Club
CBN.com –BEGINNINGS
IHOP began in 1999 and Misty Edwards was one of the first of five interns. Originally, Misty thought she might study law, become a teacher or perhaps help the impoverished children. She did not envision herself as a worshipper having found them to be "flaky." So the small beginnings were filled with hours of singing scripture and connecting with God and, "I started to see the way to impact society, and that you can't do it without prayer of without the Presence of God."
DESIRE AND EXISTENCE
Since Misty Edwards was a young girl her mind and heart were filled with the question "why?" Even deeper still was the question,"What is the point?" She has been on a lifelong journey of asking the Lord why she is on the earth, is God watching, is He listening, and many more. One thing she has learned, faith is not "a blind walk in the dark," and it is not enough to "just believe." Most people from all walks and beliefs think of their death and eternity at some point or another. Misty writes that in order to find our purpose in life, we have to first face into the fact we all die and have an eternal destination. The only way we will find purpose in our life and death will be to come to some decisions about God. She has written songs, and now a book revealing her life's devotion to seeking God. Searching in the pages of the Bible, calling out for true revelation of Himself and, with fasting prayers, the Lord has responded to her heart's cry. In the pages of this book she lovingly shares what the Lord has shown her about the purpose of the created- "no other point for my existence but to touch the Transcendent..... unsatisfied with anything less than Him." If we want to be satisfied, then we should be praying and asking how we can satisfy Him, how we can minister to His heart.
CANCER
In 1998 at the age of 19 Misty was diagnosed with cancer and had it twice over a 6 year period. After chemo, radiation, and surgery she is now cancer free. During the time of treatment Misty continued to ask the Lord what was the point of life and can a person who lives a short life fulfill their life's purpose? Misty told the Lord that for 10 years she would "not come up for air" and would give Him 110%. She began to fast, pray, be in the scripture and serve God while allowing His servant-hood to be developed in her. The Sermon on the Mount became her life's guide with no way out but through those words of Christ.
THE PROCESS TO WORSHIP
Misty shared about 3 months into giving 110% to God, she wanted out. However, longing for purpose in life she continued. She was in a trailer at IHOP, by herself with a piano, singing, and wondering,"God, are You watching me? Are You there? Do You hear me?" After three years of pressing in she began to see change and had the revelation that what God was aiming at was her heart. God showed her that the purpose of life is for Him, for the audience of One. Realizing that God makes everything matter was revolutionary to Misty. For many years Misty spent 6-8 hours of day singing and praying, 14 years later it is 2-4 hours but her fervency has not waned. She writes in her book that God's focus is on the size of our heart, our attentiveness to Him, and our desire to please Him. "Our purpose is found in His eyes" is what Misty calls a "locked gaze." Now, she can never go back, never can be less than whole-hearted for the audience of One. Misty explained that we are vibrant, able to hit the mark and never come up short when we are in Him. Driving the point home, she shared about the first time she played in an arena with 10,000 people. She walked away feeling empty; the desire that God have awakened in her was to live for His applause and thus her aim to please only Him. After 14 years of being radical and going hard she has also learned to go at a marathon pace and to live with Him in every facet of her life and being.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS
Far too often, when we are trying our best to focus on the Lord and get closer to Him, we are bombarded by distractions. During those moments we can easily fall prey to Satan's lies that God is not listening to us or He is not interested in our lives. It can become difficult to reign thoughts back in, and the time that was to be spent with Him is lost in frustration and disappointment. It will take discipline and self-control in order to go deep with God; it is not an overnight process but one of time and lingering. Time with God and His written Word, waiting on Him to speak, praying back to Him what you hear, will create powerful times with the Lord. As the love of Jesus is poured into our hearts it will bring us directly into the heart of God and will begin a transformation in our deepest places. Misty says you will "be conformed into the image of love," but it comes with a steep and extravagant cost. All of you is what He desires, it's what He gave us-all of Him. He is not looking for perfection but dedication and humbleness. It was in one of those times of fighting the distractions that the Lord said to her," I'm still here, let's talk."
FIRE OF LOVE
Without the Holy Spirit in us, we are unable to maintain the absolute love for Christ or His love for our fellow man. With the aid of the Holy Spirit and our prayers of desire, God is then going to overtake us with His love in our hearts. His love will ignite in our souls the wanting of more of Him which will be with us the rest of our lives. The emptiness that we all feel at one time or another is the very place the Lord has planted within us that only He can fill. "This emptiness is meant to draw us to Him, because our primary life purpose is in Him." That is the point Misty drives home over and over again; all life's purpose here on earth and in eternity is all wrapped up in one word-GOD. Staying close to Him, ministering to His needs and desires will keep the fire lit in our hearts and lives and bring about the genuine desire of the Lord in others as well. When we "burn out", when we are no longer satisfied with our ministries, it does not always mean we are in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing. What it would indicate is the things we are actively doing and pursuing are being done without a continual commune with God. We won't be able to take "others where we do not go." It is an ongoing and vital relationship with Christ that will keep the fire lit and oil in our lamps. There was a time in Misty's life when IHOP was flourishing and her music ministry was growing and yet the presence of the Lord was missing.
She couldn't sense Him in her times of reading the Bible, in her worship, He was not in the forefront of her thoughts or in all the activities she found herself in. Wanting to understand what had happened, Misty asked the Lord to give her a dream that would reveal what was happening. The Lord showed her that she needed to slow down and reconnect with Him and get her lamp filled with His oil. She writes, "The Holy Spirit is divine fire, the very being of God Himself, and we must continually encounter Him." Misty closes her book with a penetrating yet simple truth; "The whole thing is about Him. Every minute counts.....Our lives are profoundly significant...He will not relent until He has it all...It is in the fire in His eyes."