So almost two years ago, I started watching videos of the classes that Ethnos360 Bible Institute offers. I watch through 1 or 2 classes every 6 or 7 weeks. Right now, I’m studying the Prophets—not something I’ve studied a lot before, and the first book was Amos. I was struck by the exchange of Amos and God in Amos 7.
It says that the “Sovereign Lord” showed Amos that He was preparing locusts to devour Israel’s harvest, and Amos says, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How would [we] survive?” So, the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said. Then the “Sovereign Lord” shows Amos judgement on Israel by fire and Amos cries out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you stop!” So, the Lord relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
And then there are the prayers of Hezekiah in Isaiah 37 and 38, God responds, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.”
And we see that although the Lord is Sovereign and in control, He is also moved by our prayers. The Creator of the universe who holds all things in His hand and brought us all into being, who knows and sees all things, chooses to respond to us.
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 38:4
I recently led a one-day debriefing retreat narrowed down from the normally five-day retreat to focus on grieving. We went through the process of writing a lament. The Bible is full of laments— David, Job, Jeremiah, Habakkuk—all cried out to the Lord with a complaint, something that wasn’t supposed to be that way, sharing their grief and anguish with Him. We can draw God into our pain, just in the same way that they did. But lamenting is really a process of us growing in trust and dependence on the Lord, just as the authors almost always come back to remembering the Lord’s faithfulness at the end of their lament.
There are so many things to lament and plead with the Lord for. I grieve with my co-workers who lament family members back home who are sick, adult children who struggle with living in their passport country, struggles with chronic fatigue, disappointments in ministry, not finding partners for church planting, and the burden of a heavy load, because there aren’t enough laborers. But I’m also blessed by those same co-workers who, as they lament, still rejoice in the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord.
Prayer matters, friends. The Sovereign God is moved by our requests. He desires our dependence and trust and relationship. Please be in prayer for the many heavy circumstances impacting the field of Papua New Guinea right now—people having to stay home for cancer treatments and struggling kids and medical issues with no resolution and aging parents that need help. Pray for those left carrying increasingly heavy loads. Pray for laborers, especially teachers and medical and dental professionals.
The Lord is at work here. There are many opportunities for the people of PNG to come to the Lord, and their lives are changed as they are taught from and truly understand His Word. And there are more opportunities opening up every day.
Pray for me as I desire to walk alongside those who are grieving and burdened, bringing prayer and encouragement, providing care and community.
What’s Next . . .
I’ve always loved the image of the Lord leading the Israelites through the desert with a pillar of cloud by day and a fire by night. If He stopped, they stopped. If He moved, they moved. One day at a time. Recently at church, the message pointed out that the cloud also acted as shade in the dessert and the fire provided heat on the cold night. I marvel at the Lord’s guidance and provision. While I want it to be as evident and tangible, I don’t want to be insensitive to the ways the Lord is leading me forward in ministry and the ways He’s saying stop or the ways He is providing and it can only be from Him. Please pray for clarity in the Holy Spirit’s leading for me.
I’m also studying 2 Timothy and in it, Paul encourages Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, to be strong in Christ and the strength He provides, and to focus on Him rather then the world and the daily distractions. Pray I can focus on the Lord and the grace and gifting He provides.
I have a Missionary Care Discussion Group on Tuesday evenings EST for three more weeks. I hope to offer a ladies’ retreat before the end of the year or at the beginning of next.
There are two series of videos I’d like to work on, but I always feel like I have to have everything else finished first. One is about why we teach Chronologically through the Bible from the beginning. The other is a series of videos praying for different people groups that we’re working among.
I’d also like to develop something to help our missionaries invite their churches to send work teams here to help us out with various projects: building, renovation, medical, dental and conferences. So, if you have ever wanted to come to PNG, stay tuned, maybe there will be an opportunity you can join in on!