Hello all! Just want to give an update on what God is showing me about my trip. As I mentioned in my first post, I was nervous about fundraising in the beginning and the cost of the trip was the main thing holding me back when I was first interested in the World Race. However, God reminded me about a chapter in the Bible, Judges 7, that calmed my fears of raising support when I first applied for the trip.
In Judges chapter 7, Gideon is leading an army of 32,000 men to fight the Midianites. That number dropped down to 10,000 when the Lord said, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.'” God decreased the number to 10,000 because he didn’t want the people to glorify themselves when they took the victory. 10,000 people was still far too much for God though, and he again decreased the army, but this time to 300 men! I love a footnote in my bible that says “Gideon was about to discover that 300 with God is far more than 32,000 without Him.” So the Midianites, an army ‘as the sand by the seashore in multitude’, was defeated by an army of 300 men.
God wanted it to seem impossible to defeat the Midianites, so that when they did, all the glory would go to Him. In the same way, I believe God wanted me to think it was going to be impossible to raise $16,000, so that when I do, all the glory will go to Him. God wanted the amount to be so outrageous in my mind, that the process would be such a joy and blessing. God loves a great challenge. If it’s God’s will, nothing will stop Him and He will provide. Of course I still have some doubts and fears that pop into my mind about fundraising, but God wants me to focus on preparing my heart and mind for the trip, not focus on fundraising as much anymore.
So thank you God, and thank you everyone who has so graciously donated. I hope this can encourage you to trust in God and have complete faith in Him to accomplish whatever He wants to do in your life, because if you step aside and let Him, He always will.
