By Teresa Buschur

Elizabeth's Story

One of the reasons Elizabeth Batz, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, went to Urbana 03 was to worship God with 20,000 people from around the world.  Her expectations were exceeded by the worship experiences during the convention, and God revealed much to her throughout her five days in Urbana-Champaign. “I believe God has called me to missions in a variety of ways—with International students now during my studies, with my vocation here and abroad, and with focused, full-time ministry at some time.” Elizabeth attended Urbana to learn about God’s work around the world and receive insight into practical next steps she could take to participate in God’s global mission.

 

“God did so much every day and worked through every speaker in powerful ways,” Elizabeth said. As God wove all the themes and speakers’ topics together, Elizabeth knew that God wanted her to be more open with him and allow him complete control of her life. One of the most significant spiritual experiences Elizabeth had during the Convention occurred during the second evening as a result of Geri Rodman’s challenge to answer the question, “Who reigns in your life?” Earlier that morning, as Elizabeth spent quiet time in prayer, she sensed God calling her to be more vulnerable and open with him in every area of her life. Elizabeth was very frightened just thinking about what that might mean. Trusting God, Elizabeth told him, “I will completely place my hand in your hand, since I know it is the right thing to do.”

 

 

That afternoon, Elizabeth attended the seminar, Barriers to Intimacy with God. She felt she could relate to each barrier discussed—busyness, not wanting to bother God, being mad at God, and having unconfessed sin. Once again God asked Elizabeth to be completely vulnerable with him, and she replied, “Yes.” Still, “every ounce in me wanted to run in the opposite direction and hide,” she said.

 

 

That night, Geri encouraged those in the Assembly Hall to renounce any idols that prevented them from allowing God’s reign to encompass everything in their lives. “I renounced my idolatry of comfort, money, possessions, belongings, and success as defined by the world,” Elizabeth said. “But, that part seemed relatively easy compared to God’s other question. Again, I knew God was repeating his earlier question to me, ‘Will you be totally open and not hold anything back?’”

 

 

Elizabeth’s heart was pounding as she tried to count the cost of what answering yes would mean. Answering yes meant complete and total surrender, without turning back. Surrender meant being willing to face everything God chose. Answering yes to God meant Elizabeth would no longer cling to her own agendas. Instead, she would submit to God’s plan for her life without any guarantees about what would happen, except that Jesus promised to be with her the entire time.

 

 

“I asked for God’s help and renounced my idolatry of self-reliance and my refusal to be vulnerable to God in the deepest areas of my soul. I believe this one decision marks the beginning of a new period in my life where God’s reign truly takes center stage. It’s still a bit scary since I really don’t know how to be anything else but self-reliant; but I’m sure God will be patient with me and show me the way,” Elizabeth said.

 

 

During Urbana 03, God asked Elizabeth “Will you surrender your whole heart and each area of your life to me?” Through the various seminars, plenary speakers, and Bible studies Elizabeth attended, she was able to give God complete control of her life.