For those who know me well, they know that one of my favorite things in life is to watch the sun set and see the sky fill like a colorful canvas. There are many times in my life where watching such simple masterpieces has brought me much peace. Recently, we took a boys trip into a wildlife sanctuary in the African bush, and for the first time since arriving in Africa I felt God speaking to me.
A little background: so, since arriving in Africa I’ve experienced, what you could call, a dry season as far as direct interaction with the Lord. As I watched my fellow racers be used for such powerful works like real physical healing, I began to feel a little useless as I hadn’t heard the Lord speak to me in the three weeks that we were here. I started to question what was happening and why. Then, one Saturday all teams took turns doing three hour prayer burns where we locked ourselves in a room and just spent time with the Lord. I was anxious for this time knowing that I hadn’t heard a word since we’d arrived. However, sometime into this burn I felt this urge to read 1 Kings 19:11-13
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“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,? the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
As I read through these common verses I felt the strong presence of the Lord, but didn’t know why I was getting this passage. I prayed on it and all I got was to wait, be patient.
Fast forward back to the boys’ trip, and after a long day of mantivities the red sun started to set over the distant mountains. Suddenly I felt this calming, still presence. It was at this point that I felt the very same question asked of Elijah, “what are you doing here?” As I sat on this mountain, I began to rethink the feelings in my heart for being here, and while I watched the sun finally set, I began to feel this feeling of a sunrise inside of me. While I didn’t have a crashing of winds or an earthquake, there was a whisper in the quiet.
South Africa has shown me communities filled with so many negative circumstances, but in these same places there is such powerful hope and want for knowledge about Jesus. There is such a bountiful harvest ready in this country, and I am beyond excited to continue to see the Lord work as we move across this continent.
