Rays of Hope ~ Tim Stockton
The Outpouring at Asbury
If you have seen the news or been on social media you would have had to hear about what some have called the “outpouring” at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY which is about 2 hours north of us on Hwy 27. I personally drove that stretch of road that looks much different now than it did between 1995 &’97.
After graduating from Cumberland College in ‘95 I had looked into going to the UK College of Social Work and submitted an application, but I had heard of a new Master’s level counseling program that was going to be offered at Asbury Theological Seminary that sparked my curiosity so I applied for it too.
During the summer of ‘95 I was trying to decide what I really wanted to do and where I would prefer to go. I had gotten an acceptance letter from ATS but I had felt like I wanted to go to UK so one day I still needed to turn something in so I drove to Lexington to turn it in and check on the status of my application because I had not yet heard from them even though I had sent it in prior to me submitting an application to Asbury.
It was the summer so not as many people were on the UK campus as I found the college of Social Work and went into the office. There was a lady there and as I told her who I was and about sending in an application she said she hated to be the one to inform me but she had just sent out letters to those accepted and my name was not on the list. She tried to be encouraging and said that maybe in the following Spring or next Fall I might get in. As I walked back to my car feeling disappointed and thinking what am I going to do now it was as if I could hear within my spirit God saying, “you’re going to Asbury.”
Before the summer was over I had moved to Wilmore and my first week there I got a letter in the mail from UK saying I was accepted for that fall semester. I just laughed and thanked God that I was where He wanted me to be. Just a couple years before I was a student there, another student at the Seminary had told me of a Korean pastor who had visited the campus and shared that he believed that the next great revival would start in Kentucky.
Thirty plus years later that “revival” or outpouring started just across the street from the Seminary at the University after a regular chapel service on Feb the 8th some of the students stayed longer and began to pray and day and night since then has continued. Reports state that the president of the University has announced that in order to get back to their regular schedules and classes services open to the public will end the week of Feb 20th.
Hundreds and thousands of people, young and old have flocked to the campus to get a taste of the true peace of God. My family was blessed to be a part of the service last Thursday, February 16th. We waited in line for an hour in the cold and sometimes rain. Exactly an hour later we had made it to some balcony seats and for almost 4 hours just basked in the peace and love of God. There were no famous singers, no preaching, just lots of prayer, singing in unity, and testimonies. It did not seem like we were there for 4 hours. No one was rude, no one complained, all seemed at peace and happy to be cramped together for one purpose.
One of the verses of the day that I read this past week is found in Psalms 42:1, “As the deer pants for the water brooks so pants my soul for You, O God.” That is what I felt and was witness to. This world cannot truly satisfy the thirsty soul evident by the thousands panting for hours to get a taste of the Living Water. The awesome thing is it had to start somewhere but doesn’t and hasn’t been contained there.
As I watched the last episode of the 3rd season of The Chosen I was reminded of what Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” John 7:37 records that “on the last day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
written 2/19/23
Rays of Hope 