As I’ve shared before, the ministry for this month is one titled “Ask The Lord” or ATL for short. This provides a lot of space for freedom and following the Lord’s leading. There are many reasons this ministry can be a vital experience to a World Racer. One reason is that this is what the World Race was built upon! It was started by a number of missions minded individuals who traveled to foreign lands asking God for guidance. As the Lord guided them, they were led to multiple missionaries and local churches where they got to volunteer and help out. Out of this, these individuals organized the concept of cross-cultural travel in partnership with local ministers. Thus, the World Race was born.
Another reason this ministry may be a vital experience is that it tries us as a team into becoming more missional-minded Christians. After the Race, we most likely won’t be living lives where we are given a spreadsheet scheduling our ministry days and telling us who to pour into. During an ATL month, every hour can be filled with ministry opportunities. This concept teaches us to keep our eyes and ears tuned to the Spirit’s leading and remain actively seeking His guidance. I believe this is a concept that every Christian should dabble with. Needless to say, this month has been filled with a ton of Spirit-led encounters. I have built multiple relationships with backpackers, locals, and short-term workers. I am praising God every day for these relationships I’ve built and begging for his hand to guide me through discerning how to be present the gospel to them. Sometimes this may look like a more direct approach, such as sharing specific Bible verses or my own testimony of how I came to know Christ. Other times it looks like speaking and acting in ways that exuberate the Love of Christ, Peace of the Spirit, and Joy of the Lord. For one specific experience, it looks like doing absolutely nothing for the person. But here’s a spoiler: it only looks that way to the person you are intending to have the Gospel shared with.
If you read an amazingly written blog I shared on my Facebook recently entitled “I Went to a Strip Club” then you would know that the women on the team I am with visited a Strip Club. If you haven’t read it yet, then please, take a pause from reading this post and visit the one I am referring to. It artistically explains the experience of my team members who visited a Strip Club and met a woman who is selling her body. For obvious reasons, I remained home while the team followed the Lord’s leading to this very dark place. As they carried their light, God brought to them a woman who they have continued to pour into for the past two weeks. They have had multiple dates with this woman where they have presented the Gospel in many ways! They have brought her to a place where she can find another way of income and even godly counseling. After each continual encounter with her, the team is filled with joy and awesome stories of the conversations they exchanged. During each meeting, I choose to stay behind because I feel God wants me to. Initially, my thought is one of discouragement because I want to be there. I want to share the Gospel! I want to share the verses I’ve memorized to bring people to Christ. I want to share my testimonies I’ve written and practiced over and over again. I want to go out and spend time to show the love of the Lord. I want to smile to show the peace of the Spirit. I want to laugh to show the joy of the Lord. I want what I want. I want what I want…
But this is not the purpose of an “Ask The Lord” month. And more importantly, this is not the purpose of a Christian.
In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus lays out the perfect example for our prayers. The first request made goes as follows, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done…” It’s about God’s Kingdom and it’s about God’s will. I will have a time to do those other things I listed I want to do, but for this woman from the Strip Club it is not His will for me to do so. For her, God has spoken to me what He desires. As I remained behind, I asked the Father what He wanted me to do. He led me to trust the women on the team who have already built the relationship with her and pray. These women are more than capable enough to be examples of Christ. I have seen firsthand their relentlessness in following the Lord’s leading. They emit the love and light of the Father everywhere they go and in ways I have never imagined. The other half of God’s leading is to pray. The Lord has been challenging me in the value of which I place upon prayer because I definitely do not place enough. He is reminding me that each time I pray I am coming before the one who created and sustains the entire Universe! How can that not be powerful? Now, while they are out, the Lord has given me these two directions. He has also given one other, and that is to ask Him what to do! During these times of remaining behind, I have met so many people. People who I have gotten share Bible verses with. People who I have gotten to share my testimonies with. People who, by the grace of God, I have gotten to be a living, breathing example of the Love of Christ, Peace of the Spirit, and Joy of the Lord. This may not be the most Instagrammable month of ministry but it definitely is one of the most fruitful. Praises be to the Father for that.
*oh by the way, the answer to my title, “WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING” is this: there’s always something to do. Start by asking the Lord! ;]
