It has been the kind of weekend where I’ve just sat and been in awe of what God is doing. As far as the world goes, it’s nothing spectacular or news-worthy, and even on the Kingdom scale, I’m not sure that it would rank that high. Yet, on a personal level for a small group of individuals, it’s been a memorable God-thing.
We hosted a meeting at my church, and I had no idea who had been invited or who would show up. I went because my pastor asked me to be there, and I felt it was important to attend. Then Friday happened, and I met a woman who was a kindred spirit in missions in love for the nations and the Lord. She was the one person I knew was coming, since I invited her.
We were twelve in number — sound familiar? We were from different backgrounds and churches. Our journeys with the Lord were different, yet we held one thing in common — a desire to be a witness for Jesus to the stranger, the foreigner, the refugee, the lost. No one was seeking the spotlight, only to be used to His glory. As we went around and shared what had brought us to this place, I realized God was doing something amazing.
Our church is small, I’m just one person, I only have so much to give…but when we come together, God can do great things. I was reminded of our overseas days, when we were in tough countries like Syria, where the Christian presence was limited and security tight. We had regular meetings with like-minded, but different denominational believers. All of us realizing the time was limited and wanting to make the maximum impact for the Kingdom. We had to come together. He brought us together. Differences were put aside as we focused on the main task of sharing Christ.
The same thing happened Saturday — we didn’t talk about differences, we united behind the central message of Christ our Savior who came for the least of these to give them hope and wanted to use us to share that good news. I smiled as I heard several say that God had definitely pushed them out of their comfort zone. I haven’t been comfortable in 30 years. Even this morning as David and I studied the first chapter of Philippians, I mused about the hard road of following Christ. Accepting Christ is easy, because all I have to do is believe. Following Him is hard. So few are willing to follow down the hard path of taking risks for the gospel. Oh, how refreshing it was to see these “normal” American brothers and sisters choosing the narrow way for His glory.
Not only was I touched by these white American believers, but by my Egyptian brother who said: “I know how hard it is to come to a country and get settled and find a job and try to make it a home. I want to help others who are struggling.” Wow, you don’t hear that every day from one who’s found the “American dream”, but when they’ve found both Jesus and the dream, they’re willing to share.
We closed our meeting with plans…plans to meet each month to pray for one another and those we seek to reach and serve. We made plans to share our needs, so we can find ways to meet them ourselves or through our churches and organizations. I made plans to pray for these I’ve met and to thank God every time I think of them, for they are His laborers for the harvest.
Then I drove home…in awe…just in awe of what God is doing…and gave thanks. What is He doing in your sphere of influence that makes you sit in wonder? Give Him the Glory.
Grace and Peace