Sonrise Magazine

Kingdom Foundations is an equipping, hands-on, give-and-take, and empowering conference. As Doctor Randy Clark said, “There are two avenues of ministry at the meeting, so at any point, you are either a giver or a receiver. I was able to experience both roles during the 2024 event at Sonrise Christian Center from February 29 through March 3. One of the things that inspired me was to observe people who had never given a Word of Knowledge (quite often, this manifests as pain in a particular area of their body) in public before and then witnessing the delight on their faces as attendees with those conditions responded and stood in line to be prayed for by them. 

Many came to the conference with healing needs, and I was no exception. There were several things I could use prayer for. But God chose to heal something I hadn’t even considered asking. (As a side note, a miracle is a miracle, despite the severity of the condition.) One of the conditions mentioned was a sharp pain below the kneecap. I could identify with that as I occasionally experience knee discomfort due to a soccer injury, particularly during venues where I stand for a long time or move from sitting to standing multiple times. The lady beside me and a young lady, I’ll call her Beth, whom I recognized from Sonrise, prayed for me. Not much happened immediately, but I realized my knee was less painful as the night progressed, and the pain did not return. But here’s the rest of the story. Beth approached me Sunday and said she would like to know whether God healed my knee the other night. I smiled as I looked into her wistful eyes, told her yes, and thanked her for praying. Her expression turned to joy as she told me this was the first time someone had affirmed that God used her in the healing process. Her excitement was contagious to the point where I was even more overjoyed by what God had done for her than what he had done for me! I realized God chose to heal my knee, knowing the result could be confirmed during the conference so I could be a faith-affirming steppingstone to encourage Beth.

God’s assignment for me as a Giver occurred on Saturday evening. The speaker encouraged the attendees to pray for each other before the scheduled ministry at the end of the session. The man sitting directly across the aisle and one seat up from me, overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit, was experiencing more of God on the floor in the aisle. I looked to my right and noticed that the woman sitting next to the now empty aisle seat was leaning heavily to her left, and my first thought was that if she fell over and got jolted suddenly by the Holy Spirit, she could land head-first on the concrete floor. So, in rescue mode, I stepped over the man and quickly sat in the chair before that happened. 

The minute I sat down, God surprised me with a ministry assignment unlike any before. I felt the Holy Spirit’s power surround me and heard God say, “I want this woman to experience the motherly love side of my heart through you.” Not surprisingly, the analytical track in my brain–which often interferes with God’s intention, –activated, and I said, “God, I don’t even know her, and I don’t know how to do that. How will she know it’s you, not just someone touching and invading her space?” Then God reminded me, having lost my husband a few years ago, how he has shown me the loving husband side of his heart, how, at times, I experience the warmth of God’s love and affection, especially as he walks with me through tough decisions. Then God said, “That’s the kind of love I also have as a mother. Show her the true love of a mother from my heart. The warmth of the Holy Spirit even more empowered me, and I envisioned myself holding the woman as an infant, rocking and comforting her as I did my children. And at that moment, as suddenly as I would have expected her head to hit the floor if she had fallen, her head landed in my lap. I don’t recall what happened from that point on. I knew my hands would impart the Holy Spirit’s manifestation of motherly love. The woman was sobbing and then relaxed in my lap. Soon, she began to hum soft, comforting, cooing sounds, and I knew she was at peace. When the ministry time ended, she sat up, and I gave her a quick side hug and a kiss on the cheek. (Now, that is a miracle because I generally don’t kiss people I don’t know or even those I do know. After I returned to my seat, I was enamored by the thought that being under the influence of Dr. Leif Hetland, who was speaking that weekend, should I be surprised that I would kiss someone on the cheek!)

God chose to bless me; He wanted me to hear the rest of the story. After the service, the lady approached me. She asked whether it was me who sat by her and loved on her. I responded that I did as I was on a rescue mission to prevent her from falling and hitting her head on the concrete floor. She said, “I don’t know even how to verbalize my experience; I’m still processing it. But as you embraced me, I felt smothered  with motherly love. This is what I needed this weekend.” I told her God tasked me with that assignment. And that what I had intended as a rescue mission God turned into a redemptive mission, bringing healing to her through love. She was in awe. I felt inclined to ask her if her mother was still alive. She said, “Yes,” and tears came as she responded, “But she’s not a good mother. She doesn’t know how to love me.” 

God gave me yet another assignment; in this case, praying for the restoration of a loving relationship between \ mother and daughter so the daughter experiences the love and embrace of her birth mother. 

I left with a renewed understanding of Isaiah 66:12-13 NKJV:

For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; on her sides shall you be carried, and be dandled on her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” 

I also learned more of what this verse means:

1 John 3:18 (AMP): Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words].

Ephesians 5:1-2 (AMP) is a Quick Start Guide on how to become equipped to confidently deliver when God gives a love assignment: Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance. 

Father, may we overcome fear and doubt when you call us to fulfill an unfamiliar task. Help us become imitators of Jesus in our everyday lives, so we are emboldened to respond confidently.

Joyce Olsen (Sonrise Magazine Editor) Author. Majored in Child Psychology and Elementary Education at Biola University and Fresno State University in California. However, her natural bent seemed to better match business and administration. In those fields, she worked in corporate administration, church administration, and also as an Information Security Analyst in the medical field. The focus of her writing is to inspire and provoke thought.