The Lord has a divine purpose and plan for each and every day we live on earth. Before we were formed in our mother’s womb He knew us altogether; our struggles, desires, and quirks. He knew where we would be today and what we would be doing tomorrow. Each person we come into contact with and everything that happens is no coincidence, I believe it is divinely appointed by God. We have the choice to lean into those divine appointments or sit back and watch as they pass us by. I have discovered that when we quiet ourselves and magnify God’s voice we are never lead astray. When we stop and listen, God moves. So many times I go on with the busyness and loudness of my day; and rarely do I stop and ask God “What would you like to do today?” But I have begun to see that when we begin our day with that one simple question it changes the trajectory of our entire day, it is no longer ours, it is His.
As we have been in Guatemala, many days our ministry is simply asking the Lord what He wants us to do, where He wants us to go, and what He wants us to say. I have found this to be a huge step of faith. Trusting God even in the midst of uncertainty, and allowing for Him to lead. A lot of times God’s requests can seem crazy or weird to us. But there is so much beauty in obedience out of sincere faith. You don’t care if you look completely insane, all you know is that the God of the universe told you so you do so and that is enough. There is no need to ask why.
I am reminded of the story in the Bible of Abraham when the Lord commanded him to sacrifice his one and only son. I’m sure Abraham was afraid. I am sure his heart broke for the sake of his son. And I’m sure it wasn’t at all easy for him. But he knew that God’s ways were greater than his. He knew that even if he didn’t see the purpose in the moment, that the Lord had a greater purpose for his act of faith. God’s understanding goes far beyond our own. The Lord delights when we trust in Him even when it doesn’t make sense to us. It shows that we don’t mind looking like fools for the sake of Christ.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham as he raised his hand to kill his son, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Genesis 22:12
All that we have is the Lord’s. Therefore, we have nothing to lose. In the Matthew 10:39 it says, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” The act of surrendering our life and decisions to the Lord requires a ridding of our own selves. It is a expression that we are not our own, and that the Lord’s ways are much greater and go beyond all that we can ever fathom. Just when we think we know everything the Lord always shows himself greater. We must continually decrease and He must continually increase!
There have been many times during ATL (Ask the Lord) where my team and I seek the Lord in prayer for where He wants us that day, and we get pictures, words, scripture, people, places, direction, buildings, gut feelings etc. and they are all very random. A lot of the time we don’t fully understand the overarching purpose. But when we take that first step, it is so amazing watching everything unfold and piece together. I’m sure Abraham was unsure of God’s purpose in sacrificing his son, but after obeying God even when it seemed ridiculous it opened his eyes to the purpose. The Lord wanted to deepen Abraham’s trust in Him, he wanted to test Abe to see if he would follow God even if he appeared crazy in the process.
It reminds me of a big puzzle piece. When we look at all the pieces separated it is hard to see the big picture, but once we start putting it together piece by piece we start to see the over arching picture and purpose. Every time we have done ATL (“ask the Lord”) I have watched all the random puzzle pieces come together. Sometimes things don’t come to fruition on that day, but multiple days later. It has been humbling allowing the Lord to use us through things that may seem random at first, but later the Lord has used in order to minister and love on others. In the end, we are His vessels. Wherever the will of the pilot who directs, we must go.
One day as my team and I were doing ATL, we prayed before we went out and two girls got a picture of a carrot. At first we all laughed, but we took a few more steps and see a man walking through the park munching on a bag of (you guessed it)…CARROTS. We approach the man and get to talking, come to find it is a bag of papaya’s (which look identical to a carrot), but besides the point it is what drew us to talk to him. We come to find that this man skipped a day of work to go to the hospital because he was experiencing a serious heart condition. He works long hours on a coffee plantation to provide for his family, so even this one day off was costing him and his family a lot. We ran into this man while he was waiting for his results. The doctor’s had told him to wait an hour and then return to receive his results. He shared to us how he was nervous and afraid of the news that awaited him. It was one of those moments that you realize we were placed in that specific place and time for a purpose, divinely appointed. We were able to encourage him and pray for him. We were able to crack some not-so-funny jokes and ease his mind for that hour. I still don’t know what the results came out to be for that man, all I know is that the Lord holds him in His hands and that is all he needs.
I love the creativity our God has. He can use anything to lead us exactly where He wants us, as long as we are open and obedient. I also love that he invites us into building His Kingdom with him. He surely has the power to do it on his own, but instead He calls us into the process alongside him. He calls us worthy, and calls us out. I have seen that when I release my tight grip on things, and allow God to take hold He does so much. Things that by my own wisdom, would’ve completely failed. But He goes far beyond my own wisdom!
We use the term “ATL” on the Race, but I think of it as an act that we must carry out each and every day. Beginning our day by simply asking God, “What do you want to do today?” And watching as He moves in and through you. We have been given this gift to spread His name to the ends of the earth. Maybe for you the “ends of the earth” are in right outside your front door, that person sitting next to you in the waiting room, at your office, on the bus, your spouse etc. Whoever it may be, the Lord is calling us out and does not want us to keep quiet! Everyday is for the Lord and his glory, and who cares if we look a fool in the process. Whatever brings more glory to the Father, that’s what I want to do.
Lord, I pray that I would walk in full dependence and faith in you. Even when it seems crazy to my human brain, help me to trust that you have a bigger plan. Rid me of myself, and shine through me Jesus. May my life be all for you, and not for my selfish gain. Thank you Lord for inviting me into this life with you, thank you that you give me wisdom and understanding when I draw near to you. I pray that each day will be for you, and not for me. Lead me and guide me in all of your ways Lord. Amen.
