First things first, I want to give a shoutout to my dad, who as we speak is working to advance Christ’s Kingdom in Ghana. Keep him in your prayers.
For months, I have been asking God to mold me into the man He wants me to be. Initially, when I began asking this of Him, there were stipulations; I would not hug strangers, make myself look foolish, or use popular Christian phrases/slogans like “do life” or “love the sinner, hate the sin” or “He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called” (Nothing wrong with those, but I feel they’ve lost their catchiness, and nobody likes cliches). I also felt I should get some physical sign or experience that I was on the right track. But several weeks ago at training camp, I realized that this conditional faith in God is nothing like the unconditional surrender he demands. Since this realization, the Holy Spirit has moved me in some incredible ways.
The beautiful thing about The World Race is that it has forced me to abandon all preconceived notions and personal preferences, and rely on Christ alone. Fortunately, this is exactly how He created us to function. As a result, the joy I have taken from these past few weeks in Chile is unlike any joy I have ever experienced before.
One of our main projects in Tocopilla this month, oneI initially found tiresome but now love (read on to see why), is assisting our ministry hosts in doing door-to-door visits around the city, where we pray for people, invite them to church, etc. During a visit earlier this week, we met two sisters whose childhood friend, Nicholas, recently had a stroke. He’s only 41 years old, and has been in a coma for the past two months. We decided to return to the church and pray for him. This prayer was different than most prayers for me. Normally I try to sound eloquent and poetic with my prayers, but this time I felt compelled to simply quote scripture.
Mark 11: 23 says, “For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Whether or not Nicholas wakes from his coma is not the point. (We hope to see the sisters again on Sunday and find out.) The point is, for what feels like the first time in my life, I actually prayed for a miracle, with no doubt whatsoever that God could deliver. We prayed for another woman with debilitating arthritis in her arms. I heard for the first time my teammate John speak in tongues as we prayed over her. Creepy, but awesome! I decided to do something I almost never do, lay hands on the woman. I began to massage her hands and wrists, and once again I earnestly prayed that she would be healed. I don’t know her status now, but I do know God is softening my heart. I feel a compassion for others that has never existed before. He’s even made me willing to overcome the awkwardness of physical touch. (Ask anyone- hugging strangers is not my thing).
One night during training camp, in the chapel during worship, I’m standing there minding my own business, when this random woman who works with Adventures in Missions walks up to me and says, “I don’t know who you are, but I feel the Lord wants me to tell you that you are not far from the Kingdom of God.” That was weird, but today it was spooky. I finished reading the Book of Mark today, and one particular verse jumped out at me.
Mark 12:34. Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God . . .”
Affirmation! Now I still don’t use many corny Christian phrases, and nothing I own says WWJD anywhere on it, but I’m not afraid to look foolish either. And my faith in Him is the strongest it’s ever been. My uncle recently sent me a message:
James 1:12. God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
That- I look forward to. I’m still patiently waiting to see one of those “Get up and walk”-type miracles. But its no longer because I feel I need such tangible, visual evidence to confirm His presence in my life. I have faith for that. And I feel my faith blossoming each day as I surrender to Him. I seek him, patiently trusting that the Holy Spirit will make me into the man that HE wants me to be, without stipulation. The result of this surrender has been a life changing joy. Best part is- it’s only month one. At this point, I simply want to see His power. And I want others to see it as well.
God Bless! Don’t be afraid to donate, and I’ll give you shoutout in a future blog post.
-Matt
