Pastor Jack Hayford continues his six-part series “Anointed to Serve” as shared with leaders, pastors and dignitaries of the Foursquare Gospel church at the Eastern Counsel of Foursquare Churches conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

Originally recorded and cast by our Foursquare friends at Mustard Seed Fellowship Canningvale, Western Australia. Used by permission.

Pastor Jack Hayford continues his six-part series “Anointed to Serve” as shared with leaders, pastors and dignitaries of the Foursquare Gospel church at the Eastern Counsel of Foursquare Churches conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

Originally recorded and cast by our Foursquare friends at Mustard Seed Fellowship Canningvale, Western Australia. Used by permission.

Pastor Jack Hayford continues his six-part series “Anointed to Serve” as shared with leaders, pastors and dignitaries of the Foursquare Gospel church at the Eastern Counsel of Foursquare Churches conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

Originally recorded and cast by our Foursquare friends at Mustard Seed Fellowship Canningvale, Western Australia. Used by permission.

Pastor Jack Hayford begins his six-part series “Anointed to Serve” as shared with leaders, pastors and dignitaries of the Foursquare Gospel church at the Eastern Counsel of Foursquare Churches conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

Originally recorded and cast by our Foursquare friends at Mustard Seed Fellowship Canningvale, Western Australia. Used by permission.

Towards the end of the evening, we met a couple from Sri Lanka named Dinesh and Dinu who struck up a conversation with us asking about the Akha clothes we were wearing. Dinu was wearing a beautiful bright pink sari and I told her that I had been admiring it all evening (which I had.) We probably talked for less than 5 minutes before the evening ended and we all headed up to bed.

The next morning, Paul and I were sitting waiting for the session to begin when Dinu came and sat down next to me. She said, “I have a gift I want to give you, but it’s up in my room. At break I’ll go up and get it for you.” After the session, she found me and asked if I could go to the room with her so that we wouldn’t lose each other in the crowd.

When we got to there, Dinu pulled out the beautiful sari she had been wearing the previous night. This was the gift she wanted to give me! I was awe struck! With tears streaming down my face I told her how I had said to Paul, “If you ever want to buy me a new dress, I want one just like hers!” When I had composed myself, she explained that after the banquet she felt the Lord prompting her to give this sari to me. She didn’t know my name or our room number, so she said, “Ok Lord, if I see her again tomorrow, I’ll give it to her.”

In the past, whenever I heard those verses I always tended to focus on one word: need. I’ve heard enough sermons on this passage in my life to remember the lesson that God provides for all our needs, but I’ve always been left with the vague impression that His provision applies only once we’ve hit a certain level of destitution. Even then, that provision is only what we “need” and nothing more. But as I read this passage today, all I can think about is God’s amazing extravagance. By no meaning of the word did I “need” that sari, but the Lord poured out his extravagant love for me and fulfilled the desires of my heart. Today, I feel like a lily of the field adorned in God’s finest!