Please, join me in prayer this week for some special people:
Just last week some dear members of my husband's family went to Uganda. This country and some of the surrounding territories have been engaged in some of the most horrific civil wars of our generation. Hearing tales of the illnesses, the bugs, and even the horror stories of what everyday life is like for some of the people, it might as well be an alien planet, as far removed as it is from the lifestyle we have in these United States. To be in this area of the world can only be a desire transplanted directly from God's heart into the heart of this amazing couple, in my opinion.
Also, a team from our church is going to Haiti this week. Realife Church in Salem, Ohio is sending 11 brave Christians whose hearts have also heard a call from God. Like Uganda, Haiti is a country trapped in poverty. Witchcraft is not practiced behind closed doors, but in fact proclaimed as a national religion. The people are still devastated from a 2010 earthquake that destroyed what little they once had. In recent months Christian pastors in the Port-Au-Prince area have been attacked, some even killed.
These two groups of people have been on my heart in recent weeks as the preparations were/are made for their departures. The Holy Spirit keeps them on my mind and I have prayed as often as He reminds me, throughout the day. This past Sunday, we were having a send off for our Haiti group, and that morning during worship, I was fervent as ever on claiming their safety as they traveled. But then, something kinda funny happened. The Holy Spirit rebuked me.
"Stop it. Stop praying for their safety all the time."
I stopped. Surely I'd heard that wrong. I waited a little bit to see if there would be any more to this. Unfortunately I can tell you I've been corrected enough by the Holy Spirit that I knew that the explanation was on its way, and I was not disappointed.
"Safety is not as important as work for the kingdom."
Eureka! Lightbulb! Ding Ding Ding!
You see, all this time I was praying primarily for safety. Sure, I'd throw a little mumble of "and hearts be open and receive your word" at the end, and I am sincere in wanting to see a great movement, but the TRUE desire of my heart was for mainly the safety of those that I care about. (this is why the Holy Spirit is vital if you wish to grow your faith! In Jeremiah 17:9 we read "the heart is deceitful above all things..." and it is the Holy Spirit who weeds out the truth in us!)
The fact is, if each group goes to their respective locations, and are kept in a perfect safety bubble the entire time, they may miss out on the very people that need them the most. It would render the situation into just a bad vacation with no a/c. Does this mean that God is saying He will not keep them safe? Absolutely not! The key lesson here for me is that I need to stop being so selfish. This is not a vacation for these people, they are going because a desire to do work for HIS kingdom has been placed in their hearts. I had to stop being such a hindrance to the gospel. I will continue to pray for their safety, but more importantly, that the work that has been set before them gets done.
