Laced With Grace

“Lord, I will go anywhere but Africa.”

One of my favorite missionaries, Lorinda Robinson, explained once that when God spoke to her heart about missions at the age of three she spoke up promptly, “I’ll go tell them.” Later, as a teen she kept to the idea but told God under no circumstances would she go to Africa.

She ended up in Cote D’Iviore (Africa). She grew to love it there. It became home. While there fellow missionaries in Burkino Faso asked her to come there to teach.

“Nope. God sent me to Cote D’Iviore and I will stay here till He tells me to leave. Besides I like it here–it’s beautiful and thriving, Burkino Faso is dirty and dry.”

A few months later Cote D’Iviore had yet another coup. The missionaries were evacuated and she came home for a visit. Once again her friends in Burkino Faso asked if she would come. She insisted that the coups never lasted long in Cote D’Iviore and that soon she would be home. After another wait and many reassurances from the missionary assosication that no one was going back to Cote D’Iviore, she got a call from Burkino Faso again, asking if she was willing to come now.

She went and is now training leaders throughout Burkino Faso, who are coming for training in droves, and the ministry is growing so rabidly that no one can keep up.

“Lord, I will follow Thee; but . . .” Luke 9:61A

We all have our standards. God knows exactly the things we are holding back from Him and will eventually ask us for them. Abraham had his Issac, the rich young ruler had his money, and Lorinda had her Africa.

Eventually He will ask you let go. Are you ready?

He may not send you to Africa or ask you to sacrifice your son but He, the God of the Universe, willingly gave His only Son–the greatest sacrifice. He knows and He will ask you also to open your clenched hand so He can remove the thing that is held so tight, that you may be free to do the work He has set before you.

What are you holding onto?

Lord, You alone know what each of us are holding back. Lord I pray that You would lead each of us, gently, to open our hand and allow You to remove whatever is there from our clutches that we may better serve you in the capacity You have planned for us. Thank you Lord, Amen.

At my grandmother’s funeral, the priest asked us, “When God feels far away, ask yourself this: ‘Who moved?’ for I can assure you the answer is not God.”

Sometimes, when we are lost, we turn away from God. Sometimes we WANT to turn towards Him, but are lost at how to do so.

I recently found a prayer that voices my thoughts and feelings during the times when I feel I have left God behind and need to pull myself closer to my anchor.

Prayer of Thomas Merton
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
Does in fact please you.
And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though,
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
And you will never leave me to face my struggles alone.

The next time you feel as if God has left your side, ask yourself, “Who has moved?” Because I can assure you, the answer is not “God.”

I command you – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 NLT

Lord,

We ask You to remind us how to draw near You when we have distanced ourselves from Your grace. Remind us to trust in You, even when we feel there is a risk in getting let down. You always save us. You always catch us when we fall. You are always there for us, we just have to reach for You and pull You into our hearts. Remind us that You have not left us, we simply need to move closer.

This we ask in Jesus’ name.

When you feel far from God, how do you draw yourself back to Him?

“Lower your expectations of earth. This isn’t heaven, so don’t expect it to be.”
~ Max Lucado ~

I listen “Paul Harvey’s: The Rest of The Story” radio program, whenever I can. (it’s even available on streaming audio at the website now!) In this daily radio show, Paul Harvey takes a slice of life- history or culture and gives the background on them, that you seldom hear. The “hows and whys”, the “when’s and where’s”… all the things that make the difference between “knowing” about something and understanding it. Paul Harvey- is an American Classic and a story teller of story-tellers. I wonder if he’d adopt me? I bet he told wonderful “goodnight stories” to his children! (If not- that’s one story I DON’T want to hear the rest of … leave me in my happy denial… actually, give me a crown and call me the queen… I am, the queen of de’ nile!)

Many of the most interesting stories start out sad, full of tragedy, pain and suffering. You almost don’t want to continue listening, in case it ends badly. But-over the years, I’ve come to trust the outcome to Paul Harvey’s storytelling. I know to keep listening- it’s about to get better. Paul Harvey never leaves you with a bad ending.

If Paul Harvey told the story of my life- (and chances are, it’s true of your’s too) he’d have plenty of days where it looked like the story would end badly. We all have them… sometimes, years full of them. Like Max Lucados quote- “this isn’t heaven, don’t expect it to be” Life hurts. People hurt. Disappointments, struggles, sickness, sin.

Nope- this is most definitely NOT heaven. But, there is a heaven. A story yet to be told.

I wonder if God’s voice will sound a bit like Paul Harvey’s when we get to heaven. I wonder if He’ll greet us with warm, loving arms and a fathers lap to sit on, while He tells us..”The Rest of the Story.” The “How’s and why’s” of the things that happen on this earth, the “when’s and where’s” of His intervening actions. I wonder if He’ll tell us the details of exactly HOW:

“All things work together for good, for those that love God and are called according to His purpose” Roman’s 8:28

Not just the theory- or promise of it- but the details of how it really did. Or maybe- when we get to heaven- the questions that are raised here, no longer need answers. Maybe, when we are in heaven- and are fully in His presense…the “hows and whys, whens and wheres” are revealed to us- like a bride who’s veil is pulled back before her groom, allowing him to see her face, beautiful with joy. He didn’t marry a veiled monster- but a beautiful woman.

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Cor 13:9-13

I agree with Max- This isn’t heaven, so don’t expect it to be…. but I also know that someday-in heaven, we’ll hear “The Rest of the Story!”

For more takes on todays “CWO In Other Words Quote” visit Iris- at “Sting My Heart”