When Life Sprang Forth Out of Death
Sue and I will be married 50 years in May of this
year, and about two years into our life and ministry together, we lost
everything. We lost our place to live. We lost the place where we were having
meetings for the congregation we were planting in eastern Canada.
In the mist of the devastation, I received word that my brother in Oklahoma had
been killed in an accident. I flew out to Oklahoma for the funeral and everything stopped
on the home front. My mother-in-law later said, “That was when it all died.”
My sister-in-law, who is still a friend and partner in
our ministry, asked me to preach the funeral message. I think it was the first time
I had preached at a funeral.
The little church in Kiowa, Oklahoma was packed as I
shared a message about my brother Harvey and the hope we have because of the
Resurrection of Jesus. The presence of the Holy Spirit was manifested in a very
tangible way, and I still remember how there was more than a sense of comfort;
there was an absolute sense of triumph as I shared about the glory and hope of
the Resurrection.
I then returned home to face a different kind of death—the
death of a dream and vision. But I discovered, in a dramatic fashion, that the
Resurrection is more than a past event and a future hope. It is a present
reality in the life of the believer.
After my return, Sue and I met with a couple and their
two small children to talk and pray. Ric and Kerry had remined faithful friends
through the death and now we sat at a park bench with them and their two small
children, David and Cara.
After a time of talking and fellowship, we began
lifting our hearts to God in prayer. I still remember their 5-year-old
daughter, Cara, sitting with us and praying in other tongues.
Suddenly, out of my innermost being, those rivers of
living water that Jesus spoke about in John 7:37-39 began to flow, and I began
praying in tongues. This was prayer that I could feel flowing out of my spirit.
And all the time I was praying, I could hear the words, “Don’t be
afraid of death because I Am the Resurrection.”
I immediately
recognized these as the words that Jesus spoke to Martha just before he raised
her brother, Lazarus, from the dead (John 11:25). I knew that the Lord was telling me not
to fear the death of the vision and mandate He had given. I knew He was telling
me that it would be brought back to life, not by my scheming and planning, but
by His resurrection life and power.
A resurrection did occur in our lives and ministry. A
yielding to God, a determination not to quit, a step of obedience, and
resurrection power flowed forth. God brought a born -again, Spirit-filled
Catholic man into our lives who was managing properties for a national
organization. He opened a building for us and filled the barrels with heating oil
in the midst of winter.
We opened our first service with about four people. But
in a few weeks the building was filled and people were standing along the back
wall because of no place to sit. Over the next few years, we saw many come to Christ
including Sue’s father and two brothers.
Life burst forth out of death and victory out of defeat. The ministry that came forth was not the same as before; for it came forth in His resurrection power and in ways we could never have planned or strategized. And those words I heard will forever be emblazoned in my mind and heart, “Don’t be afraid of death because I Am the Resurrection.”
Yes, as we approach our 50th wedding anniversary
on May 17, I am writing this series of articles remembering and reminiscing
about God’s faithfulness through the years. And as I said before, if there is
one testimony we would leave behind when we depart this world, it is this: He
has been faithful!
Drs. Eddie and Sue Hyatt are still active in ministry and their numerous books are available on Amazon and their websites at http://eddiehyatt.com and http://godswordtowomen.org. Of particular significance at this moment in history is Eddie's book, America's Reawakening, and Sue's book, In the Spirit We're Equal, which contains a message that "has the power to begin a mass movement from Islam to Christianity, beginning with the women."
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