Have you ever gone through seasons of your life that happened SO FAST that you really didn’t get a chance to process them properly? Well that has definitely happened to us throughout this year. Not always, but occasionally life happens so fast and there’s so much going on that it can be hard to sit down and ask yourself, “Wow, what just happened? How do I feel about this? What did God teach me through this?” For Katherine and I, that was the month of Malaysia. If you’ve got a short minute or two to keep reading, I’d love to tell you about it…
Malaysia. Wow! We had just completed an insanely difficult trek through the Tsum Valley region of Nepal and our team was really in need of rest. That wasn’t an easy trek (and not just physically speaking, but spiritually and emotionally too). On top of that, it was another “Ask The Lord” month. That pretty much means we didn’t have a ministry host and we were supposed to pray and have the Lord guide us into whatever He had for us that month. It sounds both a little scary and crazy, but it always works out in the end.
Stepping into Malaysia, I think it’s safe to admit that we were both in a state of mind where we were just kind of going with the flow. Just waking up every morning and “doing” but not necessarily “being”. We were sinking into a place of habit where we would “do” ministry but weren’t spending a lot of time on our intimacy with the Lord, our marriage, and the strengthening of our team. What was starting to happen is something that Tozer points out by saying, “We have become so engrossed in the work of the Lord that we have forgotten the Lord of the work.”
Sadly, that’s where I think we were. And that’s not a good place to be!
After a few days of resting in the city of Kuala Lumpur, we learned about a ministry in Penang that was in desperate need of help. Once we prayed as a team and talked through it a little bit, we decided to set out for Penang and meet up with this guy who helped run the outreach center there. Upon arrival, we learned about the huge need for gospel preaching and evangelism in that area. We were also informed that they were being kicked out of their current building and had a short amount of time to move into the new building. The problem: all of their staff and local support were out of the country due to the summer break. They had no help. And on top of that, our point of contact was having serious family related issues due to the health of his son. We sat there with him as tears filled his eyes, telling us that we were a direct answer to prayer. It was crazy.
That’s what I mean when I say our “Ask The Lord” months always work out in the end. We were right where God wanted us and there was no doubt about it. I’m really thankful for moments like those. There is this unspeakable confidence that washes over you when you realize that you are exactly where God wants you to be. And it’s not a confidence that comes from selfishness or pride. It’s more of a confidence that comes with knowing that you asked God where to go, and not only did He lead you to where you are at right now, but he placed someone in your life to say, “I asked God to bring me someone, and here YOU are!” In those moments you can’t help but expect great things from God and feel confident in the work that you’re doing.
It was in that moment that I had no longer “forgotten the Lord of the work” as Tozer put it. God reminded me of the active role He is playing in my life and in our journey on the World Race. Sometimes I get so caught up in doing what He wants me to do that I forget how important it is to pause and listen. To ask. To appreciate. To worship. To remember.
Looking back I can see now how involved God was in the big picture of it all. It was hard to see in the moment, but I can now see the growth in my relationship with Him, the steps forward Katherine and I took in our marriage, and the effort of our team to dive deeper into the lives of one another. Hindsight is 20/20, right?
Our time in Malaysia is long gone, but the things God taught me aren’t. They are more fresh on my mind than ever, and to borrow the words that RC Sproul once wrote:
“My confidence in the future rests with the God who controls history.”
I don’t know what to expect during these next few weeks in Cambodia, or the next few months in Africa. But what I do know is that God is just as much involved in our lives this very day as He has been in the past, and will be in the future.
I’m not sure where you’re at spiritually right now as you read this. You may be lost, you may be searching, or you might just be stagnant in the faith you already have. Perhaps you’re the opposite and you’re totally fired up about what God is doing in your life right now—I don’t know. But what I do know is that no matter where you are with God, if you stop and take time to ask Him what to do next, or where to go, He will show you. And you won’t be disappointed!
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6
Thanks for reading!
Here’s a video that I made in Penang that gives a closer look at what we got to do there:
