Explore how our world can change through faith and the inspiring stories of missionary families dedicated to their mission.
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Many years ago, I had the privilege of meeting and knowing a beautiful missionary family. I had only known the Lord a couple of years when we met and everything about their life was a radiant testimony.
I will always be eternally grateful for their witness, and I’ll share more about them sometime. (I truly hope every one of you have met at least one family like that!) They loved our Jesus so much, that they purposefully sought closed, or nearly closed countries- and they landed in the desert. (I hesitate to name that country because missionaries are about to go back in and it’s unsafe. It’s an Islamic Republic.)
This family lived – by faith. But not like the rest of us Americans do. Their needs, their safety, their future-was God’s and they lived that way. The way they handled their finances was… holiness unto the Lord! They were the picture of stewardship. They saw God show up in so many wild and crazy ways that it was instinct, to expect God to provide.
They lived in a town, not as missionaries to the public, because that was, and still is illegal there, but they were more like public servants. They prayed-in money and supplies to use to teach skills to the local community and they worked with an agency to help establish clean water. Through that agency, they connected with the handful of others that were in the country and periodically had to travel to exchange different resources.
One super-hot, sunny day they had to venture across the desert for hours to visit friends. They were miles from any villages and the desert was not very traveled. She told me they were riding along when the vehicle started to move oddly, and she looked out the window to see their own tire rolling by. All the lug nuts had mysteriously come off.
The tire and wheel were fine and there was no damage. I said, “Oh no! I bet you were panicked!” She laughed and responded; “Oh no, not at all. I just sat back, propped my feet up, laid my hands in my lap and told God that I could hardly wait to see how He was going to get us out of the desert!” And she meant that!
She said they weren’t there long at all when the ONLY vehicle they would see the entire trip showed up. She described it as all “shiny and white”. He threw them a little bag of flashy, golden lug nuts and then drove on.
What!?! …And in a matter-of-fact way, she said; “Yes, just like that.”
She acted as if it were an everyday event (-and likely so!)- but all she added to the story was that they learned to take lug nuts to the desert. lol
Her faith was beautiful! She was so abandoned to God that she never flinched, no matter what came her way.
I tell you this story tonight to 1) put it in your memory because 2) we are coming up on seasons that we are going to need her kind of faith. Things are changing so fast, and dangers are stirring up all around us.
Our world could change in a day- in an hour -in a moment. We could find ourselves in very different circumstances.
But the God of ancient Israel is no different! He is STILL doing miracles for His people. He has lost no drop of capabilities. His might isn’t diminished- His power has not weakened.
But beloved of God it’s heavy on my heart that it’s time to prepare- spiritually.
We ought know His Word- the enemy can twist It with only one word, like he did in the garden.
We must know His sweet voice. That can be tricky sometimes in our flesh, emotions, desperation… but there seems to be a certain way He speaks, and you KNOW. And it’s often connected to His Word but will never contradict It.
Let us continue to encourage one another and pray for one another. Let’s pray for each other’s spiritual relationship to be sound and unshakable.
Let us use His Word frequently to build one another up. His Word is Alive and piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. Let us allow Him to use It for It’s glorious purposes: 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
(And seriously- if you see me do something wrong- love me enough to reprove me! I could be ignorant. Instruct me in righteousness, please.)
And may God bless us with this: Psalms 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Because; Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Let us fan the flames in each other’s LAMPS. Let us PREP spiritually and I am absolutely talking to myself, but this is the most important thing we need to do.
Remember the things He has done. Both in the Bible and in your own life. Consider making a record or starting one in Your Bible- of answered prayers. Keep marveling in Him!
And if you’re ever stranded in a desert- remember Sea’s story about Lug Nuts In The Desert
