Who would have thought… Many amazing things have come to pass in human history. And when we recount them, we often preface our accounts with, Who would have thought? I am using those word here for multiple reasons: confession, teaching and prayer.
Who Would Have Thought – Confession
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Our Colombian door of opportunity opens wide next week. And I have not been shy in asking for prayer. But alongside the expected apprehensions of a new place, I’ve been having some of those Could it be? moments.
First, God is at work in the world. He is at work in Colombia. Second, we have an enemy. And we are often caught between those two truths. As we prepare to meet the good works God has appointed for us to do (Ephesians 2:10) we have to armor-up (Ephesians 6:10-18) and combat the father of lies (John 8:44). He will impede God’s work whenever and however he can.
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That said, I had many things on my want-to list for this final week before departure. The priority item got done. We began identifying a prayer team. That has turned out to be a huge blessing. I didn’t get to update the Colombia prayer team, invite more people to join, or finish up some blog posts. Instead I was dealing with airline issues, logistics in Colombia, immigration procedures, and several other things. And about two hours ago I got word from Colombia that our last issue (a big one!) has been successfully addressed.
I share all that as a Thank You to all who continue to pray. There is no other way to account for getting through all that had to be addressed this week. And sharing those things is also my invitation to join the prayer team. Just type YES in the comments section of this post or email me: keith@e-quipus.org..
Who Would Have Thought – Teaching
Scripture is filled with the unexpected. With God all things are possible. Nobody thought an anonymous slave girl could turn the heart of her master to the Lord. Could a harem girl be used to save a nation? And who would have thought a murderer could write Scripture?
That slave girl served Naaman. The harem girl turned out to be Queen Esther. And for the record, God used two murderers to pen parts of His Word: Moses and Paul. God can use anyone He chooses to use. But in wondering what will come of next week, my thoughts have consistently been taken to big things. Here’s part of what I wrote in a letter at the beginning of this week:
So you know, we will be formally launching a new pastor training effort. Additionally, we will be working with local churches to identify, equip and send 300 Colombian missionaries to various ministry fields outside Colombia…This is easily our largest undertaking to this point. And our future success will be impacted by the success of the launch. So, prayers are in order for our safety, to find favor in the eyes of those we meet, for clarity in teaching as well as casting a Kingdom vision.
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God can do more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21). The goals I shared (above) are not small and they are not easy. But, the truth is, God can do much more than that. What I wrote is just a place to start. Will you pray that we meet those goals? And please pray for our safekeeping as we labor for the Kingdom.
Who Would Have Thought – Prayer
Some of those unexpected things came with a price tag!
Our prayers cover so many fronts. And the items above are all important. Equally important are the people we will meet, teach, work with, equip and send. So please pray for the pastors we will teach. They have their own ministries and our work is multiplied through them.
And finally, Could it be? The Word is the power of God unto salvation. Might God use the proclamation of His Word to revive and save? I know He can and I am praying that He will.
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