Up, up, and away!

PRAISE

So I have a pretty exciting piece of news to share with you all this month. I’m finally leaving for Africa! Praise God! I fly out of St Louis at 5:00 PM on Monday, June 13. I will fly to Johannesburg, South African via Chicago and London. From Jo’berg, I will catch a bus to Nelspruit where I will meet up with Larry and Susan Weil for the last trek of the journey, crossing the Mozambican border to the capital city of Maputo, my final destination and new home for the next year.

UPDATE

This past month has been amazing. God gave me the chance to join Samaritan’s Purse and my cousin (Kyle Knierim) in a spontaneous effort to help families affected by the deadly F5 tornado that hit in April. The damage was incredible. The situation was overwhelming. And God was faithful, showing up through generous hosts, new friendships, and prayers with hurting families and amazing work teams. It was a very humbling experience. I discovered that service is contagious. We came to serve, but we found ourselves being served with free meals, shirts, and lodging. I thank God for the opportunity to go, and I thank Kyle for inviting me. The picture above is Kyle, Philip, and myself. We were able to tarp his roof, or lack thereof, after the tornado.

DEVO: Are we there yet?

The rest of the month has been an effort on my part to make the most of the little time I have left with friends and family. I thought I would be where I am (preparing to fly out to serve in Mozambique) this time last year. An entire year has passed as I have waited on God to work out the details of my calling to ministry. This waiting process has been a stretch for me for sure. We live in a society of instant gratification. Anything that demands patience is seen as a nuisance.

As I was thinking about waiting on God, He gave me an analogy of the biblical truth of God’s perfect timing (Mark 13:32-36). No one knows when God will return, so we should eagerly wait and prepare for His arrival. The analogy is a road trip taken by four different individuals.

Imagine a six-year-old child in the back of a car, waiting to arrive at Grandma’s house. He becomes impatient rather quickly, repeatedly asking the infamous question, “Are we there yet?!” This first illustration is a person who waits on God with UNREALISTIC prayers based in selfishness. The child’s inability to wrap his young mind around the concept of time and distance leads him to ask juvenile questions. The same is true for individuals who pray out of ignorance by selfishly asking God for personal blessings.

Fast-forward ten years. The second person is sixteen and pushing the limits by speeding and not stopping for gas or directions. Responding prematurely to a divine desire is RECKLESS. The teenager knows where he is supposed to go and how to get there, but he doesn’t want to wait. Some dangers of rushing God’s will in a sexual sense include unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. God has a plan, but we often have different schedules. When we feel God calling us somewhere, it is important to be sensitive to His timing. We should never mark our calendars before checking His.

Twenty years later we find a married man at the healthy age of thirty-six. While driving down the highway in the family van, racket from the kids, conversation with his wife, and stress of the road cause him to encounter a test of patience during the trip. Waiting on God requires RESPONSIBILITY. There will be countless distractions begging for your attention when you find yourself waiting for an answer to prayer. It is important to wait proactively without becoming consumed with distractions. We have responsibilities to uphold, but we have the ultimate responsibility of obeying God. Ministry and service projects should be evident in every believer’s lifestyle, but they should never come before that individual’s personal walk with the Lord.

The fourth illustration of a person waiting on God is seen through the retired eyes of a sixty-six year old. RELAXATION is key for this person when it comes to traveling. Country roads, frequent stops, picture taking, and memory making is more important than reaching the destination. When it comes to waiting on God, we should have a peace in knowing His timing is perfect. The danger is becoming idle during the silence period. It’s important to be at peace, but it’s a sin to be complacent in your walk with God. We are called to continually draw near to Him, especially during a period of wait.

So there you have it. Each individual is waiting on God, but they are doing it in three different ways. They are all on the same trip; they are just taking different roads. Be encouraged to wait on God. He has great things planned for you! Relax. Be responsible. Be patient. And just ask!

PRAYER:

1. Documents: I still need to receive my visa, passport, and police release prior to flying out next week. Please pray these details will be worked out.
2. Departure: Ask for God’s traveling mercies for Kyla and myself as we embrace the next step in God’s call on our lives.
3. Dynamics: Please pray for a blessed bonding between OMS Mozambique team members.
4. Deployment: Please pray that God will clearly prepare me for ministry, lead me to people He wants me to meet, and provide me with His words of truth and love.