Recently I shared how I was struggling to trust God with my future, and how because I couldn’t see where I would land, I was letting fear prevent me from taking a leap of faith. When writing that last blog post, I knew that God was teaching me about trust, that he wanted me to rely on his strength and his awesome power to provide for my future rather than my own mortal strength. God’s timing is perfect and though at times I find it frustrating, when it is so clearly him, I can’t help but smile. Twenty four hours after posting that last blog I received an email inviting me to Mijas, Spain to attend the March term of G42 Leadership Academy.
There website states “G42 is a global community of men and women rediscovering that the core of Christianity is to live and love like Christ. We train and empower leaders who are passionate about changing their neighborhoods, cities, and nations through radical love.”
Wow! I’m so excited for this opportunity. Though I’m still in prayer confirming this calling, it is looking like this coming March I will be moving to Spain to receive nine months mentoring and discipleship. The first three months will largely be spent in the classroom, in prayer, and in worship. The following three months I will be somewhere in the world interning with one of their ministry partners, freely giving God’s love away, and then it will be back to Spain to for a final three month. Those last months will be focused on developing a vision and a plan for how I will be dedicating my life to bringing kingdom!
Trust has been a theme that keeps coming up, and just when I think I’ve figured out what God is trying to teach me, he shows me something new. He’s so cool! This past Sunday my team was asked to deliver the message at a small church. The congregation had just spent a few days in workshops to raise their awareness of how they as Christians are being persecuted. Though it is legal to be a Christian here in Malaysia it is not legal for them to openly share their faith. Leaders in the church have been imprisoned and some have gone missing and are never heard from again. Religion in Malaysia is something you’re born into, it’s not a choice you get to make. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians all live in relative peace, but because the Malaysian government is controlled by Muslims, who are afraid of losing that control, it is illegal to share the gospel with a Muslim or for a Muslim to change their religion. Muslims who hear the good news and wish to freely declare their love for Jesus must flee to neighboring countries. Being a Christian who wants nothing more than to shout their savior’s name is challenging here in Malaysia. These were the people we were asked to deliver a message to.
When I was searching for something to share I started thinking about the verses that have been important for me this past year. Would one of those be as encouraging for the people of this small congregation as it has been for me? I came to Paul’s prayer for wisdom in his letter to the church in Ephesus.
Ephesians 1:17 – 19
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.
Paul’s prayer is one that I have prayed for myself many times this year. I have been praying for the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know my glorious Father better, and he has granted that prayer. It’s a verse that has been very important to me this year but I didn’t see how sharing this verse would benefit this congregation. As a team we prayed and chatted about what theme we should be sharing on. Once again we landed on trust. The people of this church are being persecuted and when they start to lose hope, they need to trust that God is with them and he is for them. I started searching familiar verses on trust.
Proverbs 3:1-6
My son, do not forget my teaching but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the table of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Boom! It’s so awesome to me when the word comes alive and God speaks directly to you through it. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” It dawned on me how much I had let my pursuit of understanding effect my willingness to trust God. I had confined my trust in God to the limitations of my understanding. As we as Christians allow him to lead us down this road of life, we must trust him, even when we can’t see what is around the next turn. I was able to share both verses with the church and a testimony connecting the dots. Several people came up to us after the service to share how the message we delivered was exactly what they needed to hear. God showed me one of my blind spots that day, and taught me yet another lesson about trusting him. Wisdom does not equal faith. There is always more to learn and there will always be those turns in the road that transcend our understanding. I’ll keep praying that he gives me the wisdom to trust him in those moments.
