“But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord. I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hand.”’ Psalm 31:14-15a
Mark and I have plateaued in our fundraising progress. The official number: 25% of recommended support. 🙂 We wrote our Mexican field leadership, asking if some of the support numbers might be lowered…
I had been trusting the Lord, or so I thought….
In our recent prayer letter we wrote:
“We are glad we are at 25% support, otherwise there would probably be something we could do about it! Ha!”
That statement was out there, but in reality, I secretly believed there was something we could do about it…my (secret) last hope was changing our status to long-term associates, expecting this would drastically reduce the monthly requirement. Changing our status to associates was my (secret) ace-in-the-hole!
The field leadership emailed back, explaining that lowering the support level would not be a helpful move in the long run. Also, changing our status to associates would not change the support recommendation.
Immediately upon reading their email, a feeling of dread and a desire to give up overcame me. How could we quit, though, when so many have prayed and contributed already? My mind was racing and I felt discouraged. Complaints raced through my brain:
- These levels are too inflated!
- How can anyone stand in the way of what God is doing in our ministries?
- How could the mission requirements have changed so much over these years?
As I complained to the Lord, the recent study about Sarai and Hagar returned to my memory. It was the Lord’s mercy that stopped Hagar on her way back to Egypt (as she was making a mistake). Sarai had taken matters into her own hands, expecting good to come of it, when in reality, all it did was cause heartache and division in her household. I realized that this situation in which we found ourselves really is impossible, apart from the Lord accomplishing it…just like the statement in our prayer letter declared.
I began to thank the Lord specifically for each person who has given toward this ministry; and realized that He has used these dear people, who have responded to His prompting, to show His care for us. How loving! He is able to accomplish this task!
The Lord reminded me of the very Scripture I recently wrote to someone else, who is in the same situation as us: “For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Rom. 10:11.
And so, with renewed determination, we say:
“But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord. I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hand.”’ Psalm 31:14-15a