Not My Fight…

A mix of relief, excitement, and fear swept over me as our Director of Operations broke the news to us last week…13 May 2016 will be our last official day working/training here at the NTM Aviation headquarters in McNeal, AZ!

RELIEF…They were words we’d been waiting to hear as we’d already begun looking ahead to a whirlwind summer tour of the country to share the story of the Lord’s work we get to be part of, to connect with those the Lord will use to partner with us to further His good work, and to say a lot of goodbyes (or at least “see you laters”).  Let the planning begin…

EXCITEMENT…We’ve been working at this for so long and though we’ll always have more to learn, this is it!  This is the end of our training on this side of the globe for the work the Lord’s drawn our hearts to on the other side.  We’re so close…

FEAR…But we’re so far away!  Look at all we still have to do here to pack, sell, and ship stuff before we leave in a couple weeks, and that’s nothing, look at the resources we still lack to get overseas and we want to be there by 1 Aug…what were we thinking?!

You know how in Bible study or church or Sunday school it never seemed to make sense that the Israelites would see God do absolutely astounding things and then they’d turn right around and grumble, or worse, forget Him altogether, looking instead in all the wrong places to try to meet their needs?  Yeah, that can soooo be me.  The fear was but a brief flash, however, as the Lord slapped me on the back of the head…had I so quickly forgotten?

Just last month I spent 7 days laid out on the couch wracked with fever, chills, and nasty body aches (Take an hour to get a flu shot?  “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”).  The whole week as I lay there, clearly and prominently displayed before me was an awesome piece of art capturing Exodus 14:14.

See, in verse 10 of that chapter the Israelites were standing on the bank of the Red Sea.  As they looked back and caught sight of Pharaoh’s army rapidly approaching, “They were terrified and cried out to the LORD.”  Moses wasn’t having it though.  His response?  He answered the people, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” [v14]  After all they’d just seen and been through, they somehow still thought this was their fight, and they stood paralyzed by fear.  The Lord wasn’t about to have it either.  His response?  “…move on.” [v15]

He wasn’t contradicting Moses, rather it’s as if He was saying to them, “Don’t go runnin’ around scared actin’ a fool, be still for a second while I talk to you.  Settle down and look at me.  It’s not your fight, it’s Mine, I’ve got this.  Don’t just stand there, though, I’ve got places to take you, I’ve got so many more things to do in and through you so get movin’ because I want to bring you into My rest, and this isn’t it.”

How quickly I forgot as I stood there on the bank between the familiar land of training and the swirling mess of things which lie before us between now and Aug.  I forgot that while I lay there on the couch, completely and utterly helpless, Jehovah Jireh, The Lord who Provides, did just that in such an incredible way every – single – day that week.  Every day I lay there He prompted new ministry partners to join the team in everything from monthly support, to helping with moving costs, to committing to remembering us in prayer.  “Imie,” He was saying to me, “It’s not your fight, it’s Mine, I’ve got this.”

I thank the Lord for the privilege of participating in His work and the fact that it’s not my fight (even though I have some work to do).  How amazing a truth that is, well, at least until the next time I forget, which will probably be tomorrow…thank You Lord for Your great grace!