My friend concurred with my deduction and like, me, could only see the circumstances in some ways, nothing less than a miracle. And add to this, in each case, I remember praying and asking guidance for the various situations, not at all sure how it was going to work out, yet it did and, in an unlikely manner.
As I write these words, I repeat, “I am excited.” I’m not entirely certain about what, but I know without a doubt something is going to happen that is going to blow me away! It may not happen in an instant, but it will happen, I can feel it. The Holy Spirit has me energized in a way I haven’t felt in some time. I’ve been praying about a ministry and while I continue pray for His guidance, He’s preparing me to serve.
I heard the story of a young Pastor who felt he was being called to contact a Chaplain at a prison near him. The Chaplain told him he could come visit, but added a negative comment on the end of the conversation, “I will give you training….. but you probably won’t come back.”
This of course, caused the Pastor pause, but he did attend and met two men, one of which had been on death row, but ended up becoming Saved and knew the Bible well! The young Pastor who had now been trained to work with prisoners, found himself in an odd situation. He’d grown up in a Christian home, even had a church of his own, yet, it was the prisoner who had found ‘his mission field in the Pastor’ rather than the other way around.
The young Pastor had done all the right things —he bowed his head and prayed, even read God’s Word, had a degree and more, yet found himself on the ‘learning end’ of what it meant to ‘being prepared to serve!’ God does that sometimes. When we think we have it ‘all together’ God puts us in a place we hadn’t expected, yet with just the right people or resources to do exactly what we are called to do.
The young Pastor needed to be that prisoners mission field. They both benefited. The Pastor finally came to face to face with what it really meant to give your all to God. He truly was now in a better place to serve! The prisoner found his faith had served him and His God well, and will be rewarded one day in Heaven.
I don’t know what the future holds. I do know, however, God has a plan. Not just for me but for each of us. We all can choose to grow. It truly is a choice. We can close our eyes to what God has for us and snub our nose thinking ‘we’ve got this’ and miss a blessing. Or we can accept the ‘mission field’ right where it is, [even if it is us on the receiving end] and grow and be blessed, as God continues to prepare us to serve and further His Kingdom.
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