Faith That Gets God's Attention

MEETING JESUS
As a teenager, Derek Grier begged God to reveal himself. He was angry at God about racism, evil and suffering in the world. After he started college in 1984, Derek read the Quran from cover to cover and was influenced by the nation of Islam. He learned to believe that Christianity was the white man’s religion and Islam was the religion for men of color. While in class at Howard University, Derek experienced such a sense of sin, loss, and brokenness. He explains, “I had to leave my class. It was that overwhelming. While I was lying on the bed, I saw a man in a gown. All He said was ‘This is it.’” Derek knew it was Jesus appearing to him. “After that experience, I quit reading the Quran and began an intense study of the Gospels,” he shares. As he studied the ways of Christ he fell in love with His character. The way that the Lord treated people made Derek want to be like Him.

Muslims on campus didn’t appreciate his conversion. They were constantly taunting Christians. Calling them “Uncle Tom’s, handkerchief heads, and agents of the white man,” Grier explains. In response, Derek posted a flyer that read, “Beware of Dogs. Allah is not God and Mohammad is dead.” The campus went into such an uproar that Derek was considered no longer welcome. Though he wasn’t formally expelled he was considered “persona non grata” and had to leave with only three classes left to graduate. He explains, “I was baffled by the university’s response, considering all the emphasis on free speech in my political science courses.” Derek was devastated and this led him to fall into a three-and-a-half-year depression.  The Bible became his only refuge and God began to open other doors into ministry for Derek.

Today, Derek is the founding pastor of Grace Church in Dumfries, Virginia which serves over 5,000 members and through his radio and television ministries he’s reaching millions around the world.

PHYSICAL CONDITION
For 10 years, Derek struggled with a very painful and infected pilonidal cyst near the end of his spinal cord. “Every time the surgeons operated to remove the cyst, it would grow back,” he shares. As Derek sought answers concerning his health God reminded him of what happened at Howard University. Derek realized that he had bottled-up feelings of rejection, grief, and self-loathing. Understanding that this was more of a spiritual battle, he prayed and took authority over spiritual forces and asked God to heal him from the inside out. He was scheduled for surgery and after almost 10 years of suffering his cyst healed and he didn’t have to have the scheduled surgery.

GETTING GOD’S ATTENTION
In his latest book, When God Stops, he examines how ordinary men and women grabbed Jesus’ attention. He focuses on eight biblical figures that all had one thing in common—a burning desire to get God’s attention. Faith and a desperate longing to get closer to Him are key ingredients in getting God’s attention. These eight people were the woman with the issue of blood; Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector; the man by the pool of Bethesda; Mary at the wedding in Cana; Peter getting out of the boat; the Leper; the woman caught in adultery; and blind Bartimaeus.

ZACCHAEUS
Zacchaeus was public enemy number one as a Jewish tax collector for the Romans. He was considered a traitor not to mention that the penalty for those who couldn’t pay a tax bill was prison, beatings, and their children being sold into slavery. “This tax system was brutal but protected because it was the primary source of revenue for Rome, which needed to fund its expansive army… Zacchaeus was willing and handsomely compensated accessory to this tyranny and his countrymen hated him for it,” explains Derek. Yet, despite all of his faults, Zacchaeus had a hunger for God. When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he climbed a sycamore tree because he was too short to see Him. Instead of Zacchaeus seeing Jesus, the Lord saw him and asked to stay at his house. This shocked the crowds! Why would Jesus stop for someone like this? Derek says, “Jesus loved the tax collector as much as He did the Zealot, just as He loves the Democrat as much as the Republican and the rich as much as the poor… This little man’s heart-felt hunger caused him to not only receive a birds-eye view of Jesus, but it also resulted in a life-changing evening with the true king of Israel.”

BLIND BARTIMAEUS
Scripture reveals the while Jesus was in Jericho in the midst of another crowd, that he stopped for Bartimaeus who was blind and poor. “So, Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called” (Mark 10:49).  It was amazing that Jesus stopped for him when there were thousands in need… Many warned him to be quiet, but he refused and cried out to the Lord. Even though Bartimaeus with physically blind, he could see spiritually. He referred to Jesus as Rabboni and said, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”  Jesus healed him! Derek shares, “It is interesting to note that Bartimaeus called Jesus the Son of David. This was a messianic title taken from the Old Testament that foretold the kingdom that Jesus would initiate (2 Sam. 7:12-16) showing that Bartimaeus had enough knowledge of scripture to recognize Jesus as the son of God.