By Rosslyn Delmonico

CANADA will never be the same.

At the Pacific National Coliseum February 29 – March 1, an estimated 3,750 women from across our nation and the U.S. came together to taste from the fountain of truth – as spoken through author Beth Moore, in her first major appearance in Canada. The women who walked through those doors experienced the presence of God in a profound way.

This conference held little fluff. Beth made Hebrews 4: 12-13 come to life. Then she quickly got down to the nitty gritty. From Joshua 1:8, she reminded us that God is for us, not against us – but that we had better come clean with him right up front.

“There ain’t no high like the Most High,” she said, “because it’s a clean high – a free high! It doesn’t leave us without dignity. It is here to prosper us . . . There is no bull in God. He knows you! That’s liberty! That is not prison! . . . This is a God who sees right down into the marrow of our bones. Right past the bull.”

Beth’s case for trusting in our creator was convincing and strong. “There is nothing that makes us feel more used than to reveal ourselves to someone who doesn’t appreciate it.    I present to you someone who can handle it. He knows you in ways that you don’t know yourself. God totally gets why you do what you do!”

Her message went on to remind us of the holiness of God. In so doing, she revealed the cavernous rift we must all acknowledge – between those things in our lives which are of God and those things that are of this world. She then challenged us to separate ourselves from sin.

“We are trying to join together completely opposite things,  and we’re completely miserable . . . as we’re trying to weave things together.”

Beth stated that God desires for us all to have “prosperity of the soul.” With the fervor of a cheerleader, she continued: “If you’re stuck, God is going to use his words to push you forward!” And that’s exactly what happened on Friday night. We were pushed forward, to come clean with God.

Bright and early the next morning, our spirits soared as Lianna Klassen’s ‘A Song for Canada’ rang throughout the auditorium. 

Cynthia Cavanaugh, founder of Women Emerge, shared the vision of women rising up across Canada, to network together, to make a difference in their communities. There was a holy hush over the arena, as we got on our knees and she prayed for our nation.   

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After a short period of worship, we readied our pens for the next session. Beth’s message did not miss a beat. She picked up right where she had left off the night before.

She reminded us of how often we run from God when we sin. “We disconnect.” She challenged us:

“What is it you’re running from?   . . . What if today we start [turning] from running from, to running to? Could you trade a run from to a run to? Because right in the ugliest moment that you and I have, Jesus is with us. Jesus got down with us in the grave; but then he got up – and he wants us to do the same!”

During the morning break, Beth offered the women an opportunity to lay “their truths” on the altar. A stream of women started to make their way to the front, as songs of mercy filled the auditorium.

“Come runnin’ to the mercy seat, where Jesus is callin’,” Beth said. “He says his grace will cover me . . . On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand . . . My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness . . . Come runnin’ to the mercy seat.”

It was a beautiful sight, to see the auditorium peppered with empty red seats – as the stream turned into a river of brave women, who were willing to fight for the freedom that was being offered to them. It was a holy moment; surrender and humility filled the auditorium with a sweet fragrance.

As the altar cleared, Beth’s message continued: that with surrender comes a void which we must fill.

“There is grace and mercy for every need you have,”  she said. Then she asked us to identify the root of our sin, so we could step into the grace God was offering us. She challenged us to find the words to express what we were asking from him, and to then write them down on a piece of paper.

Like white flags of surrender flying, the auditorium was filled with raised arms – as our requests were offered to the throne of his grace.

Then with the graciousness of an elegant hostess, Beth thanked us for the opportunity she had in serving us. The songs of worship which filled our final moments together reminded us of his ‘Amazing Grace’ – and after an almost     a cappella chorus of this song, the room fell silent . . . hushed . . . nearly 4,000 women falling under the awe and reverence of Christ’s presence.

God is calling.  Listen, Canada.

Are you ready?

April 2008