Preparation

Typically, I love planning and organizing. I love having lists and checking things off, but for some reason it has not been enjoyable for me as I prepare for the World Race. I think this is how the Lord is drawing me to Himself. I don’t think He wants me to get wrapped up in what I am to pack and prepare, but rather to just spend sweet, restful time with Him. There is nothing better to prepare me for my journey than to spend time with God.

I want so bad to do everything on my own. To rely on my finances for provision, my strength for encouragement and my will-power to make it happen. Well, the Lord took away the ability for me to financially provide for myself, He removed my sense of self-encouragement and depleted my apparent storage of will-power.

 I heard that God’s grace is when He gives us what we want, but His mercy is when He doesn’t. What a merciful and wise God I serve that He desires for me to depend on Him, deepen in intimacy with Him and cease to rely on my own strength.

It’s been hard to relax when all I can think about are the ways I’ve fallen short. As false security, false comfort, false confidence is taken away, I am forced to need help in ways I never have before.

I am encouraged by how David strengthened himself in the Lord when he was in the midst of loss and defeat in 1 Samuel chapter 30. The story is, David and his men were off at battle when their enemies came into their camp and took all their woman and children captive and burned down their camp. It says David and his people “wept until they had no more strength to weep” (30:4). Think about that.

Everyone then began plotting to kill David because they were so heartbroken. This is when “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God”(30:6). I wonder what he did, how he strengthened himself in the Lord from such dark circumstances. Did he worship? Did he get on his knees and pray? Was he fasting?

He asked God if he should go after their enemies, God replied “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” (30:8). God was his strength and God was his counsel. The Lord told him he will surely have victory.

Why is it so easy to believe this happened to David but not believe in victory for ourselves?

The Lord very clearly called me to the World Race, even at this time of the pandemic, political tension and social distancing. And I know that He has already paved a way for me to get there, physically, emotionally and financially-

a path of sure victory.

In this preparation stage, I am slowing inching toward abandoning this life I have in Phoenix. I  feel resistance during each inch I move forward. In my transition away from American success toward living like Jesus, I feel so much being ripped away. But I realize that this is the mercy of my Savior, removing from me the comforts, the shallow likes of my life so I can run this Race.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”

Hebrews 12:1

To ask that whoever is reading this would consider donating to my 11 months of missions work. To invest in God’s plan to send me to love orphans, serve the poor and proclaim Jesus to the hopeless. I will be preaching, serving, praying and breaking for people near and far who need to hear about their Savior.