“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Genesis 28:15
I have been studying Genesis with my small group over these past few months. It seems that in every story we read the same underlying theme is present: God is faithful (El HaNe’eman) in fulfilling His promises. He made several promises to Abraham and Sarah and regardless of their faithfulness or trust in Him; He always fulfilled the promises in their lives. God opened Sarah’s barren womb, he made Abraham the father of a great nation, he rescued Lot, he made Abraham very wealthy, and so much more. It is great to sit around a living room and praise God for his faithfulness in someone else’s life, but how much better is it to experience it first hand?
Back in Zambia, God made me several promises when I agreed to step out in faith and say “yes” to serve Him as a missionary in Africa. One of my biggest fears in pursuing full time missions was the idea of support raising and speaking in front of groups of people. God assured me that He would be next to me the whole way; that I had nothing to fear, He was in control. From a human perspective of course I had doubts how an invisible being would be able to be “by my side” when speaking to large groups of people, comforting me in my fears. I took His promise not actually expecting Him to fulfill it in ways I would physically see. Well, months later the journey of support raising and preparations to enter the field had begun. I was speaking with many friends, family members, and strangers about the adventure I am embarking on to Zambia. I received varied reactions to the testimonies I gave, most being encouraging and supportive. So already God was working through me and I didn’t even realize it.
It wasn’t until a couple weekends ago when I was visiting Blue Creek Baptist Church, in Jacksonville, NC, that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to how powerful and present God is currently on my journey. I have never had the responsibility of filling a whole service testifying to God’s grace and work through me for His kingdom, so I was a little bit nervous and unsure of how the evening would turn out. To my surprise, it was the most amazing evening I have ever had, and because of it, I wish I could do that at every church in the surrounding area. It was so amazing to look back and feel the presence of God next to me and the Holy Spirit speaking directly from my heart into the hearts of those people in the audience. On that day, God reassured me of the promise He had made several months before…He is erasing every doubt that could ever enter into my heart about moving to Zambia. When I witnessed a promise from God fulfilled, it completely confirms the calling I received from Him, affirming that I have nothing to worry about because He is in complete control of how everything turns out.
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