I’m sitting on a mountaintop. I look out over a verdant valley. I’m sweating and breathing hard. I’m trying to focus enough to pray over this community and the prayer tower the church wants to build in this spot.
Then someone asks, “Where is the church? How far did we come?”
I hear our translator ask the question. He listens to the answer then translates for us. “We can’t see it from here. The trees block the church. It’s close to that blue roof to the left.”
I look to the left and find the blue roof. I’m hit with a realization. I just did this. I just hiked a mountain. I came that far.
Then I’m hit with another revelation. I always have that “I did it!” realization at the top of a mountain or the end of a hike. Why is that? Have I not learned that I am capable?
So I sat and prayed and let God take me where I needed to go.
I remembered earlier in the week when Facebook had shown me a photo from 2 years ago. I was in Tacoma serving with a local church there. I looked pretty different. I had been thinking since then, “Wow! Look how far I’ve come!”
Here is photographic evidence. On the left is Tacoma. On the right is Nepal.
I look a little different. I have come pretty far in that past 2 years and not just in appearance.
I changed again on that mountaintop.
I told God that I didn’t want to have a grand realization every time I succeeded physically or any other way. I wanted it to be a given that I would succeed at the tasks I set my hands to. I wanted to understand myself to be the worthy woman from Proverbs 31.
I then turned my prayer to include the valley below me. I pleaded with God that they would find themselves worthy of the task of building His kingdom. I prayed strength, power, blessing, wisdom, and perseverance over the families and churches represented in the valley.
Then it was time to leave. As we hiked down the mountain I has no doubts that I would make it. I had done it on the way up and God would not leave me without what I needed.
I didn’t see the full impact of that moment in prayer until the next day.
We were hiking to a believer’s house to pray with and encourage them. We stopped at a good vantage point and that pastor pointed out our week. He showed us where we were the day before. He showed us where the church was that we would visit that afternoon. He showed us our home church. He then pointed out the final church we would visit that week.
Someone asked, “On the top of that other mountain? Is that right?” The pastor said, “Yes. Down. Up. Church.”
My thought when I heard this was, “Cool. That’s even more believers that we can meet and minister to. I love that we are getting to work all over this area.”
Then I stopped. I hadn’t balked at the distance, the rugged terrain, or the difficulty of the trail. I hadn’t even thought about it. I didn’t think about it because it didn’t matter.
I finally understood who God said I was. I already believed He was faithful and would provide what I needed. I finally understood that He had provided it in how He made me and how He is perfecting me.
This is who I am.
I am strong and confident. I am able to complete any task He asks of me. I can do what He calls me to because He made me that way.
