God’s ways often seem upside down and backwards compared to our ways. If you want to follow God you better be prepared to do some things that may seem a little crazy. A man was on the shore and he shouted to some fishermen, “Do you have any fish?” The fishermen, probably frustrated as it was, answer the man with a short and simple, No! “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some fish.” Who does this guy think he is? We’ve been out here all morning and haven’t caught a thing! Nevertheless they cast the net to the other side of the boat and they were not able to haul it in, because there were so many fish. Right away they knew it was Jesus who was on the shore. They embraced a mystery and were greatly rewarded for it.
The other day I had $4 in my wallet. This same $4 was all the money I had. Nothing in the bank, no credit card, just four one dollar bills. Later that night I was planning on buying a coffee at Starbucks so I could sit and use the free internet to Skype one of the team leaders from the next missions trip I am leading. As I was sitting in church God put on my heart to give all I had into the offering. Nope! -That was my initial reaction. “But God, I need it for later tonight, and I don’t even have money for dinner!” … After a few moments of silence I knew what I had to do. The bucket came around and I dropped the four bucks. “I trust You God, You’re faithful”. That night a friend took me out to a really nice restaurant, and afterwards I was still able to get the coffee with some spare change I had in my backpack. Still later that night, God brought me some incredible creative vision that I believe will help me to become fully supported for this next trip. It’s not always easy embracing the mystery of God’s provision, but if you simply trust in God it can become kind of fun!
Of the hundreds upon hundreds of times I have prayed for someone to be healed, I have only ever seen a miraculous healing take place maybe a handful of times. While I haven’t always seen it happen with my physical eyes, I believe others I prayed for also received healing. When you don’t immediately see the fruit of healing prayer, it’s easy to question yourself and question God. Am I not faithful enough? God, why didn’t you heal her?! Whether we are blessed to see the fruit of our ministry or not, ultimately does not matter. The true question is, will you be faithful and obedient to what Abba God is calling you to do? Embrace the mystery and keep on praying!
I live in Wisconsin where the weather is extremely unpredictable. It could be warm and sunny when you wake up and snowing that evening. It drives some people crazy, but I love it. I love being surprised with a cold and brisk windy day in the middle of summer. I thank God that I don’t know whats coming next. How boring life would become if I knew what was around every corner! The mystery of God is a beautiful thing.
[UPDATE: Praise God! I’ve had $140 come in towards the 18″ Journey. I still need to raise another $1160 to be fully supported for the school. Would you consider making a donation today? You can make a check out to ‘A Place for the Heart’ and send it to: Michael Sanders 340 N Hayworth Ave #304, Los Angeles CA 90048, THANKS!]
