Technically, I was supposed to be in Ecuador five days ago, buuuuuuut international travel can often be unpredictable at best.
The road to Ecuador has proven to be a fickle path indeed. Some people that live along the ONE and ONLY safe road through the mountains that separate Colombia and Ecuador, people that the local news labels “an indigenous people group” are protesting the government over a land dispute, and have blocked the road with large rocks and debris for the last 12-ish days. They have demanded to meet with the president of Colombia to negotiate with him directly, and as of now, have been speaking with him for several days now. Our squad and the folks back at Adventures in Missions have been watching this situation for the last couple weeks in hope that it would be resolved, but it seems to remain an issue.
Soooooooo, what does this mean for myself and the rest of I-Squad?
With our ministry partners in Ecuador waiting on us, as well as about half the squad’s parents that flew into Ecuador yesterday, AIM decided to go ahead and bite the budget bullet and have us flown into Ecuador. Everyone who’s parents flew in to join them in ministry for a week were flown out early wednesday morning. The rest of I-Squad, myself among them, didn’t fly over ‘till yesturday. I wrote most of this on the short flight yesturday from Bogota, Colombia to Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
Due to this travel delay, I’ve spent the last three days in a hostel in Armenia with not much to do but read and think (ok, I also watched some netflix, but nothing noteworthy ever comes from doing that). Since starting the race last August, I’ve been doing a bible-in-a-year sort of reading plan through an app called He Reads Truth.
I highly recommend this app for all guys, it’s got amazing content! The original app by this ministry is She Reads Truth, geared entirely for women getting into the Word, and their content and Study Bible comes highly recommended by several of the women on my squad.
Anyway, I picked up the plan with what it had to read at that time, Proverbs and Acts, and since then have read from there to the end of the Old and New Testaments. Here and there I’ve skipped books I already read before, but for the most part I’ve read/reread whatever the plan lead me to and I circled around to the beginning at the new year. I now find myself reading mostly in Job, with Psalms sprinkled here and there.
Job’s story has always been a point of interest for me and it’s always been a point of contention for christians in general. Was it the devil that afflicted Job, or was it ultimately God because He gave permission? Job is all but called the most righteous man of his time, God Himself calls Job “the finest man in all the earth”, and “blameless — a man of complete integrity”, yet he was still flawed and thus a sinner, so did he deserve everything that happened to him? The last time I read through Job, probably several years ago, I was left confused and somewhat uncertain of what to think about God’s actions in this book. How you view God’s intentions here will surely shape you opinion of God’s nature if your view of Him is not already firmly rooted in what scripture says about Him. This book has a lot to say about suffering and why God allows it. While reading yesturday, I was struck by the wisdom of Elihu, Jobs youngest friend. Elihu patiently waits until chapter 32 to speak up to Job, respectfully allowing those older than him to speak first. However, he finally gets so aggravated by Job’s insistence of his own innocence and is fed up with the inability of Job’s other friends to convince him of God’s goodness and sovereignty. So, Elihu begins to make his case.
I say all this to point out my favorite part of Elihu’s argument.
“But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity. God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food.” – Job 36:15-16
Elihu is reminding Job that God uses suffering in our lives to point us back to Him. In suffering, we are reminded that we NEED God. Apart from Him, our lives are………..empty. We are helpless before our enemy that prowls the earth like I lion, seeking to steal, kill and destroy. But when we understand our need for God and live our lives according to His agenda, not our own, we find that there can be SO MUCH MORE to life than simply seeking personal prosperity. When you are living for God and not for yourself, you can face ANY hardship with the knowledge that He has a purpose in it.
“I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” – ??Psalm? ?119:75? ?
God. Is. Faithful.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – ??Romans? ?8:28? ?
It is because God is GOOD that that we go through struggles. He knows that the human heart is a stubborn thing and that, more often than not (sadly), it is only through facing tribulation that a persons heart can change. God loves us too much to leave us where we are, when He know where we could be with just a little push.
In the beginning of Jobs story, he is pretty darn well off: probably the wealthiest man around, respected by all and known by all to be a good and righteous man. But, God had something even better for Job in the end. Yes, he suffered greatly, but He came out on the other side with twice as much wealth, animals, land, influence, and I would say wisdom as well.
A major theme for me on this journey has been “head knowledge” becoming true “heart belief”. Before leaving on the race, I “knew” that God loved me. I “knew” that He is good, I “knew” that He is faithful, causing all things to work for my good, toward what is best for me, even though it’s often not the way I may prefer or expect.
And yet, sometimes I still had doubts. But now…..it’s different.
I’ve seen Him faithfully provide for my every need, and even little wants here and there to show that He cares. I’ve seen Him care for orphans, battered and abandoned, around the world, giving them a home, food, and a hand to hold when they are scared. I’ve seen Him taking care of guiding you underground churches in countries where the Gospel is ILLEGAL, and these churches were thriving!
I now know it in my heart that He is always Good. He is always faithful.
And no matter what I do, no matter how I fail, He will A L W A Y S love me.
God is not angry with me, he is not ashamed of me. He is proud to call me His son.
And it’s not because I’m a missionary, though i’m sure He loves that too haha. He loves me for me, not because of anything I’ve done. If his love was based on my actions, I don’t think I’d be doing so hot.
In Job 36:16, Elihu says that “God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food.” God doesn’t plan to get you to the other side of hardship as only a survivor, He has it set up for you to come out on the other side thriving, in a better place than you were before. All He asks is that you trust him. Trusting God with your life, with your story, means walking in obedience.
Do you know that He is Good?
Do you know that He is faithful?
Do you KNOW that He loves you?
Or, do you simply think He does because you know that’s what a christian is supposed to think? That is how any church going, bible believing, follower of Jesus is supposed to answer the question, right?
What hardship are you facing right now? How do you need God to come through for you? Will you still believe He is good when He doesn’t come through in the way that you want Him to? Can you trust that His plan for you is better than anything you could conceive yourself? Trust Him, walk alongside Him in obedience to His Word, and you will live the best life that He has for you.
Fundraising Update:
I’M FULLY FUNDED!
It’s been a long and bumpy ride, but my trip, with a total cost of $18,100, is totally covered. To all of you that faithfully supported me, I can never thank you enough. Your generosity will not go unrewarded:
“Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.”
– Luke 6:38 TPT
[Line]
As I finally find internet and publish this, I am now in Ecuador!
Greetings from Quito, over 10,000 ft above sea level!
Once again, I would like to invite you to make my journey your journey! Here are three simple ways:
1. The most important, PRAY.
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