Last week was my first time to do hospital visits on the field. Actually, I’ve never really done hospital visits before. So, this was going to be a new experience for me.
I had heard about what hospitals were like in Africa before, so I had a mental image of what I was walking into. Honestly, I was worried most about what it would smell like, and if I’d be able to handle it. As we walked up to the different wings, I was praying against any distractions that would keep me from ministering to these people.
I wanted to not only walk in boldness;
I wanted to walk in fearlessness clothed in the light of Christ.
While on the race, God has been teaching me that through me He has words to speak to other people. God has been breaking down my fear and hesitation about publically speaking out on His behalf. It wasn’t that I was afraid to share my faith; it was that I was afraid my words weren’t strong enough, or that someone else could say it better than I could. I’ve been learning that God will use me, and that when I put my trust in Him,
He won’t leave me hanging.
And again, He proved this true at the hospital.
After we arrived, each member of my team was separated out with a translator. I ended going by myself with a woman from the church as my guide. I told her I didn’t know what I was doing, since this was my first time. Before we started in the first room, I prayed that I wouldn’t let fear or hesitation cloud any conversation that was about to take place. I was going to rely on God to be my strength, knowing that if I surrendered this over to Him, that He would show up and take control.
Just like He promises us.
What happened next, all glory goes to God.
God used the very first person, lying on the very first bed to show me how faithful He is when we trust Him to give us words. I began with some simple conversation, then I asked her if she knew Jesus. She said, “no, not really” but she told me she knew who God was.
I stood there praying to God that
He would give me words to speak, and the boldness to say them.
God is magnificent, isn’t He? He completely answered my prayer and gave me words about Jesus to give to this 17 year old girl. Then, a most beautiful thing happened, the translator told me she was ready and wanting to accept Jesus as her Savior.
And so, for the first time, God used me to help bring a young girl into salvation through Jesus and into a relationship with her Eternal Father.
I am not writing this to boast in anything I’ve done. I am writing it to let you know that GOD is faithful to His promises. When we put our trust in God, and not in ourselves, greater things are done than we could ever imagine.
Things that have eternal value.
Next time you find yourself unsure if you have what it takes, remember that you don’t. But God does. And when you allow the Holy Spirit to truly work in and through you,
you will have what it takes to carry out God’s will.
and to go where He says go.
