• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

Never forget WHO is in charge

Posted on January 31, 2017 by wtdavid

There are many days when we can despair as we look at events swirling around us.  Reading the opening verse of the book of Ezra, though, re-centres our hearts and minds on what is really true.

“In the first year of in-chargeCyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom.”

When Cyrus broke onto the historical scene, I assume, he believed it was simply the result of his cunning and smarts.  The biblical writers ‘interpret’ the situation differently.  It is not Cyrus who was in charge.  It was God.

One commentator put it this way: “In its quiet way, however, Ezra 1:1 shows not only that this mighty king was subject, whether he knew it or not, to the promptings of God (who “stirred up his spirit”), but also that God had brought him to pre-eminence for the very purpose of the salvation of his people.”

Now we all know that.  Yet, we can be easily blindsided by an event that happens and causes us to be late for a meeting, postpone a translation workshop, or seemingly place a roadblock in ‘completing’ the hand off of ministry in a particular place. What oozes out of our hearts, at that moment, is not trust and confidence in our great God, but discouragement at having to ‘figure out what to do now’.  We exchange the truth that God is in charge for the belief that we are in charge and must do something to figure out how to solve this new problem.

Read that verse again.  Its simple, yet straightforward message is something I struggle to hold on to each day. However, it is clear about WHO is really in charge.

Filed under: Sovereignty, Worldview | Leave a comment »

Is your world too small?

Posted on April 9, 2013 by wtdavid

All of us could give strong and valid reasons for an inner call we have sensed from God to the ministry and people where we serve. That call first to serve God and then to follow Him into cross cultural ministry resonates in each of our hearts. Many spend years learning a language and gaining an understanding of the dynamics and cultural cues that are necessary to bring the message of Christ to those from another culture.small world

However, I have noticed that because of that singular focus I can sometimes lose sight of the larger world around me where God is working. I can become oblivious to what is happening in the Church elsewhere in the world. I am concerned about God’s mission, but in my limited area. I am in danger of developing a ‘mono-world’ view. My world has become too small.

When my world becomes too small, I can keep my heart from opening to the needs of people in other places. I might thwart God from possibly moving me from my current world and ministry to another. Now I am not saying that we should all be thinking about moving to another place or country. I am calling us, though, to open our hearts to God’s larger missional activity in the world around us and asking questions about how He wants us to respond:

  • You might choose one worker from another region and ask to receive their prayer letter; ask them to point you to some links about the people group that they are working among.
  • Build a love for another people group through prayer or through a simple act of reaching out to those who are different from you right where you live.
  • Prayerfully consider opportunities in other places in WT where your gifts and experience might be used.

Filed under: Global realities, Worldview | Leave a comment »

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