Day By Day, Moment By Moment
As soon as we began to sing, I stood up and made my way to the front, my heart beating fast and tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I joined others as we walked down the rows together, and I met some friends in warm embraces at the front. Before us stood a large panel with a map of the world. The oceans were painted with colorful strokes of pinks, purples, and blues, yet the continents were left unpainted...but not for long.
Prompted by the keynote speaker that night, we came forward to make a committment to mission work and to place our hands on the part of the world to which we were going. I watched people before me place their painted handprints on China, India, Latin America, and the United States. We were instructed, "If you don't have a specific place in mind, put your mark anywhere on the world. The Lord knows."
Together, my friend Emily and I, with blue-painted hands and passion-painted hearts, stamped our hands and our love for God's world right in the middle of Africa as a symbol of our committment to serving Christ in the mission field.
And although I still do not know how it all is going to happen - how, when, or where - I am beginning to catch glimpses of the the Lord's plan coming together. And it is going to happen sometime very soon.
I think about Psalm 37:4. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." The more I delight myself in the Lord, the more He has given me the desires of His heart. And as my desires become like His, I realize that my heart's wildest dreams are coming true. I am going to be a third-world missionary.
I made a commitment last spring to pray for an entire year about the formation of a mission team for me. It has only been five months since I began that journey, and the Lord has already placed three potential opportunities in front of me: one in Tanzania, one in Zambia, and one in Burkina Faso. All in Africa.
My prayers have been answered so quickly, that I almost went crazy with excitement and anticipation this week. Since God had started opening doors and planting ideas, I suddenly wanted all the answers. I wanted to figure out which team I was going to join, where I was going to go, what I was going to do, and when I was going to leave.
There I go again, trying to take the driver's seat, trying to take charge of the plan.
I tend to do that, which is why the Lord reminded me of something through the Jesus Calling devotional on the morning of September 30. "Your future is in my hands; I release it to you day by day, moment by moment."
God's future for me in missions is something that He is going to make plain to me one day at a time, one moment at a time. (Becuase He knows that if He lets me know too much up front, I will grab control!) This past weekend at the Global Missions Experience, He revealed one more little piece of the future. Now it is my turn to keep listening and following, moment by moment.
I was telling my friend the other day, "I have decided to stand still until God moves first. When He gives the "go", I will jump to it. But until then, I must wait and listen."
I tell you all this to solicit your prayers on my behalf. Please pray for me as I listen for God's voice and discern what He wants me to do. Please join me in praying for the formation of a team this year before I graduate. And always keep praying for the nations, for God's eyes are upon the whole earth. The King of the nations has a heart for the world, and He is the savior for all peoples of all cultures, languages, and people groups.
And in regard to your future, remember God's words for you, "Your future is in my hands; I release it to you day by day, moment by moment."
As much as I wish I could promise that God is going to make your future plain to you tomorrow, I cannot. We must live in dependence daily, waiting to move as He moves.
But this I can promise: Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of His heart. And as your desires become like His, and He will give you the desires of your heart as well.
Prompted by the keynote speaker that night, we came forward to make a committment to mission work and to place our hands on the part of the world to which we were going. I watched people before me place their painted handprints on China, India, Latin America, and the United States. We were instructed, "If you don't have a specific place in mind, put your mark anywhere on the world. The Lord knows."
Together, my friend Emily and I, with blue-painted hands and passion-painted hearts, stamped our hands and our love for God's world right in the middle of Africa as a symbol of our committment to serving Christ in the mission field.
And although I still do not know how it all is going to happen - how, when, or where - I am beginning to catch glimpses of the the Lord's plan coming together. And it is going to happen sometime very soon.
I think about Psalm 37:4. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." The more I delight myself in the Lord, the more He has given me the desires of His heart. And as my desires become like His, I realize that my heart's wildest dreams are coming true. I am going to be a third-world missionary.
I made a commitment last spring to pray for an entire year about the formation of a mission team for me. It has only been five months since I began that journey, and the Lord has already placed three potential opportunities in front of me: one in Tanzania, one in Zambia, and one in Burkina Faso. All in Africa.
My prayers have been answered so quickly, that I almost went crazy with excitement and anticipation this week. Since God had started opening doors and planting ideas, I suddenly wanted all the answers. I wanted to figure out which team I was going to join, where I was going to go, what I was going to do, and when I was going to leave.
There I go again, trying to take the driver's seat, trying to take charge of the plan.
I tend to do that, which is why the Lord reminded me of something through the Jesus Calling devotional on the morning of September 30. "Your future is in my hands; I release it to you day by day, moment by moment."
God's future for me in missions is something that He is going to make plain to me one day at a time, one moment at a time. (Becuase He knows that if He lets me know too much up front, I will grab control!) This past weekend at the Global Missions Experience, He revealed one more little piece of the future. Now it is my turn to keep listening and following, moment by moment.
I was telling my friend the other day, "I have decided to stand still until God moves first. When He gives the "go", I will jump to it. But until then, I must wait and listen."
I tell you all this to solicit your prayers on my behalf. Please pray for me as I listen for God's voice and discern what He wants me to do. Please join me in praying for the formation of a team this year before I graduate. And always keep praying for the nations, for God's eyes are upon the whole earth. The King of the nations has a heart for the world, and He is the savior for all peoples of all cultures, languages, and people groups.
And in regard to your future, remember God's words for you, "Your future is in my hands; I release it to you day by day, moment by moment."
As much as I wish I could promise that God is going to make your future plain to you tomorrow, I cannot. We must live in dependence daily, waiting to move as He moves.
But this I can promise: Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of His heart. And as your desires become like His, and He will give you the desires of your heart as well.
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