The second “Life’s Lessons” I would like to share is the simple fact that God will provide.
When my wife and I were on deputation, we saw the Lord provide in mysterious ways and it was obvious to us that the Lord was taking care of us. Our life’s story on deputation was a clear testimony of how God works and provides. But it seems that sometimes we see God work and then we head back off the mountain and into the valley – where we do not see God provide for another long time. The amazing thing about our God is that he has continued to provide through the entire journey – He still provides as I sit and write this entry.
I have to admit that when we preparing to come to Argentina, we were excited, but very nervous at the same time. I was not sure of the exact city or location where God wanted us, I was nervous to start from zero, etc. But probably one of the greatest events that stick out in my mind about coming to Argentina was what began years before we arrived to Argentina. My wife and I would pray on deputation and in language school that God would prepare the hearts of the Argentine people. When we finally arrived to Argentina and was living in a hotel before finding a house and church building, our prayer began to change. We began to pray that God would send the people whose hearts He had prepared. When the Lord led us to an old paint building that was to be turned into the Lighthouse Baptist Church, the miracles began. We began expectantly working in the new church and within months, the Lord truly did send those people whose hearts He had touched. One by one, a couple would come that would later watch over us and constantly love and pray for us, a young man and his sister came who later became teachers and leaders in our church, a girl came that later brought her husband who would later become the Ast. Pastor, a family came that would bring and win many others to the Lord, and much more. The Lord began to provide!
God proved to me more than once that it was not me, rather Him providing. People would leave, people would come, but God began to build, God provided!
I am amazed that in Ex 31 y 35 that God tells Moses that He, God, has called men out that will help Moses do the work that God had told him to do. Once again in Numbers 11:16-17 God tells Moses to gather 70 men and, “they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone”. And the same story we have today in every church and every place – God raises up the leaders so that His work will go forward.
Time does not permit us to go into every story of how the Lord provides economically. Many of us have seen this and it is so true that God provides in this area. But my “Life’s Lesson” is to show that the same God that raises money and gives materially, also raises men, workers and capable people to do the work He has called us to do. What a blessing! God really does provide!
More than once my wife and I have sat down and said, “remember when we prayed and God sent…..” and then we continue the sentence by saying, “we need to pray that He would send another family, another leader, …”. We all would say we believe in prayer, but my testimony is to show that once and again I have prayed that He would send more workers and He has provided. We saw families come in as a direct result of asking God – sure we might have passed out tracts or knocked on doors or …, but every time we have prayed it is like God telling us, “prepare the ground because I’m going to send some rain.” And He has!
So I ask you my friend, when was the last time you asked for Him to provide in any area. I don’t want to stop my life with a few testimonies from the past of how He has provided, rather be able to daily and constantly see the Lord provide. We have a God that provides!