Process of Becoming a Bride - Part 2 — Hattie Hammond

Enduring Trials Before Deliverance

We'd like to take them out of that. We want, we just, I'll just help you get out of here. Don't do that. One time Jesus rebuked me when I was going to help somebody out of a circumstance. He said to me, the most unkind thing you could do for that person is to take them down off the cross before they're crucified.

Because they'll just have to go through it all over again. So, it's best to go through it right the first time, isn't it? Honey, I'm not making you morbid, am I? Huh? No, I don't, oh, I'd run home. No, I don't want to, I don't want anybody to feel I can't make it, I can't go through, I don't want you to feel morbid.

Letting Trials Accomplish Their Work

I want you to feel blessed. I want to help you to God. I want to help you to God. I want to help you to know how to interpret life. We're here, we're saved, we're baptized in the Holy Ghost, but we're not out of here yet.

We have to live. We have to face life. We have to face these things that Jesus allows in our life. We have to face them. And what are we going to do with them? Well, we're just going to let them do what he intends them to do.

When Ministry and Blessing Give Way to Restriction

You know, there's another meeting I'll hurry on because we, well, because I'll hurry on. I'm only, you're going to stick it out with me? You know, she works on your hands. This one works on our hands.

Did you ever have your hands tied when you were just getting along? And you had a ministry, and you had works, and everything was so lovely, and everything was so blessed, and it was so beautiful, and life really was fun.

And he just seemed to take your hands in his, and just tied them up tight. And he says in these words that her hands were tied through the long... After you had such a beautiful day, and such a prominent place, and everybody admired you, and said what a blessing you are, and what a blessing you have been, and they just loved you, and flattered you, and praised you, and said the nicest things about you.

Bitterness, Demotion, and the Loss of Recognition

And all of a sudden, he just, that sent one of those maids that just started rubbing with that oil of murder and bitterness, and you were not promoted, demoted, and put into some obscure place, and ministry, and lesser, lesser grace, and lesser glory.

Didn't you say in the meeting that you, Lord, I want you to have your way? Yes, but they've taken my place. Through the Lord. And he says, three churches he wrote to in the book of Revelation, he says, yes, I know.

He says through a long, dark... And my place was given to another. We could get jealous. We could get angry. We could start blaming. It's this one's fault, and that one's fault, and a lot of things we could say, a lot of things we could do.

And those maids, if we could just get our hands on them, what we would do. But he says, no, I'm interested in you. I know all about your works. Do you know you are more important than your works to us?

God’s Concern for the Person Behind the Work

How many choirs did you direct now? He's not going to be there with a pencil and paper. Now let me see. How many choirs did you direct? Maybe there's pastors' wives here. How many churches? Forget it.

Forget it. He'll say, just turn around and let me look at you. Just turn around and let me look at you. What do those choirs do for you? You know, the work of the Lord is reactionary. And the Lord puts each one where he can best give you a choir to direct for you to win the title of wheeling the baton.

But he makes you a choir director so the choir can work on you. Just let those maidens rub. Just rub. Let the base rub. Let those develop the best choir director that ever was. Full of the grace and beauty.

Rejection as Preparation for Queenship

It isn't pleasant to be voted out, is it? You know? You ever been voted out? That's not pleasant to be voted out. But you know that can be the most beautiful vote towards your queenship. It all depends on how we accept it.

Jesus isn't interested in what people do to us. He's interested. He'll stand back and let that maid just rub us, rub us. And he knows it's oil and bitterness. But he'll stand back and won't do a single thing about it.

But just watch how we react. And if we will accept the beautification. Well, there's so much I could say about facials. I better go on. And you just take these maidens and just take them and let the Lord talk to you about them.

Joseph’s Pit and the Good Purposes of God

Did you ever have your feet worked on? He was more, more than any man. But he was qualifying for something. Was getting a beauty treatment when he was thrown into that pit. Brethren, come out beautiful.

Didn't he come out of that beautiful? Joseph could have hated his father. He could have hated his brothers. No, he said, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, for good. This was a promotion, a promotion to be put in a pit.

Crucifixion, Inactivity, and Paul’s Faithfulness

But Jesus wants to crucify us. Nail them on the cross with him so that we can't. He couldn't come down from that cross until the Father released him. And I'm not going to serve him anymore. I've heard people say that.

But every epistle that we have. When he was in prison. Oh, honey, if he's tied your hands and bound up your feet. And that your active life has stopped for a season. Paul sang hymns even at midnight. And didn't he come out of there with a beauty treatment?

Do you think Paul will be in that bride? Listen to Paul. That I have all been. That I might be. Yeah, how do you get fine flour?

End of side one. Please stop your machine and turn the cassette tape to side two. For the continuation of the program.

Loving Difficult People Through Prayer

And she just took it. And I mean she took it. She said, I got down and washed up my kitchen floor. And I washed it up with my tears. And I said, Jesus, how long? Jesus said, now listen. Jesus said, didn't you pray?

Didn't you pray for love? I sure don't love her. He said, I do. And if you will let me, I'll fill you with my love and you will love her. Now, I can send her away if you want me to. But you will miss what this will do in your life.

And she said, Lord, don't. Well, let her stay. But, oh, my father, you will have to help me. And it went on. Battle after battle like this. She fell ill in that home. And, of course, my friend had to nurse her and take care of her.

Washing the Feet of Those Who Trouble Us

One day Jesus asked her, get a pan of water and wash her feet. Wash her feet. And she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed and prayed that through until after a while. She said, Lord, I'll wash her feet. I'll wash her feet.

You know, we can say, I'll wash her feet if it kills me. We can say it that way. It's one thing. That's one way of saying it. But it's the spirit that he wants to be broken, beautified, the spirit. Well, she did that.

One day then, this is over a period of, this goes on all winter. And spring was coming and Jesus said to her, won't you tell her that you love her? She says, I won't. I don't. I can't lie. I won't. And she battled and prayed.

And you know what it is? Pray something through, huh? You don't get through the five-minute excursion at the altar. Sometimes it takes days. Sometimes it takes weeks. Until we, for when we yield, then Jesus gives the enablement.

And so she said, all right, Lord, don't let that woman go. Then God's grace was being poured into her. She said, don't let that woman go. I'll do everything she asks me to do. I don't care what she wants me to do.

I don't care what it is. I'll do it, God. Don't let that woman go until I can tell her I love her. So one morning she says, you know, Lord, I think this morning I can tell her I love her. All right. You go tell her you love her.

Completing a Ministry Through Love

So she took her breakfast into her that morning. She says, Nana, you know, I want to thank you for coming and spending the winter with us. She says, Nana, I've learned to love you while you were here this winter, and I really love you.

And she says, that woman got so fidgety. And she says, you know what I've been thinking? She says, I'm just thinking now that I'll get my trunks packed and I'll be leaving this weekend. Constance had to give the gift of help, you know, to help you on to perfection and purification and to God.

And she had finished her ministry there so she could go on and purify somebody else. Up to here. But you've been a lovely, lovely group. And I say again, I don't care how much you laugh here. There's plenty of tears in this world.

And when weeping time comes, take the breaking, take the purifying. What do you say? Yes. You want to stand now? Yes.