Something I’ve come to understand is that preparation is a vital component regarding all things in the kingdom of God. While we should strive for adequate preparation when pursuing God’s plan in our lives, we must be intentional in our pursuit, and humble in our response. Intentionality is necessary so that our preparation does not morph into the creation and follow through of our own plans. This can happen rather quickly, and when preparing for my mission trip to the country of Brazil this summer, I unknowingly made assumptions of what the experience would be like. Therefore, I prepared for what I thought I knew. I prepared for expectations that I set in my own mind.
Before my feet ever touched Brazil’s soil, I believed myself to be prepared. I had prayed over the nation and its people. I felt a burden for individuals I had never met or even spoke the same language as. I educated myself on the culture by reading books and seeking an understanding of how a local would live. I immersed myself in the preparation of how a missionary would conduct themselves, and how I could most effectively prepare for an opportunity to be an ambassador of Christ overseas. All of those things were necessary in my preparation. However, my preparation did not fully equip me for the humility and flexibility that was required of me while on the field. I can see this now, after returning from the mission field in Brazil.
My time in Brazil taught me many things, and even though I was not fully prepared, I can report that Jesus allowed me to experience a new kind of humility and flexibility. The humility He showed me was simple, yet profoundly life changing. I created itineraries in my mind for how the trip would go, and how the Lord would use me, but the Lord chose to do things beyond my imagination. The ways the Lord chose to use me were never ones I planned for, but being obedient to his voice, especially in unexpected moments, resulted in seeing God do wonderful things.
The most memorable God-moment I experienced was during a regional service in Brazil. Our group ministered in worship by singing songs in Portuguese. While we either forgot, or mispronounced many of the words to these songs, the atmosphere was still that of sincere worship. What I began to see was this: the people of that culture have a different understanding of worship, which truly manifests into the Glory of God. I may not have understood every word spoken in that room, but one thing I knew I understood was that Jesus was in the room. I saw the same love of Jesus that we experience in The United States, pour out and overflow in a room an entire ocean away! During the altar call, I found that my eyes locked on a young lady praying. She wasn’t an outwardly expressive person during worship, but I felt a burden for her and I sensed the sincerity of her heart. I went over to her, laid my hands on her head, and prayed over her mind. I was overwhelmed by the need to speak the healing power of Jesus over her. During this time of prayer, God gave me the understanding that He wanted me to tell her she had victory. I reminded Him that I couldn’t tell her that, because I couldn’t speak Portuguese (as if He didn’t already know I wasn’t bilingual). He again gave me the understanding that He wanted me to tell her to lift her hands as a sign that victory was there, and I again reminded the Lord that I do not speak Portuguese (sometimes the Lord has to spell things out, very clearly, for me to understand). He reminded me that I did not need to tell her with words, but that I could tell her by showing her. After He gave me the confidence and understanding of what He wanted to accomplish in her, I tapped her shaking wrist, pointed to her hands, lifted mine as an example, and then she followed. She couldn’t tell me with words, but I know she felt God’s love and victory. That was a moment which required my obedience, flexibility, and humility. Though I argued for a moment, when I finally chose to walk in obedience and yield to His will, I got to see Him do a beautiful work in that young lady.
Looking back, my biggest worry at that moment was not that I couldn’t speak Portuguese. My worry was also not just something people deal with overseas where there are a multitude of languages we don’t know. Rather, it’s something everyone in the kingdom of God experiences: fear that you won’t be understood. In prayer, I considered this experience and asked the Lord what He was trying to reveal to me. His answer was simple, but oh so powerful. “All I need you to do is be obedient, and I will give you understanding.” God didn’t need me to be fluent in a different language, He just needed my obedience. He needed my flexibility and humility. The Lord has things in store for me, and for you, that will require obedience, flexibility, and humility in the face of the unknown. It will not always be easy to trust Him, but it will always be necessary. We must clothe ourselves in obedience, humility, and flexibility! Learning to trust Him regardless of our fleshly instinct to say, “NO” is a hard, yet vital lesson we all must learn. While this story came from an experience on the mission field, it is an applicable lesson in every season of life. Learning to walk in humility when you choose to walk with God isn’t just for people who feel called to Global Missions… it’s for everyone who wants to see God advance His kingdom!
There are things you may be facing right now that you have found such a deep struggle in, because you don’t understand why the Lord isn’t fulfilling your prayers the way that you want Him to. I want to encourage you in the Lord right now and remind you that just because there are things happening around us that we don’t comprehend, doesn’t mean that Jesus is not in control. He has a will and it is perfect!
There are lyrics from a song by Paul Jones I feel led to share with you… “He knows what’s best for me, although my weary eyes can’t see. So I’ll just say, thank you Lord! I won’t complain. The Lord Has been so good to me, He’s been so good to me.” He truly knows what is best for me and for you, and if you will be willing to submit to Him and just say “thank you” to Him in advance, He will reveal to you and to others through you, who He is. Being obedient to Him will require humility and flexibility, but the end result is so much greater than anything we can ever desire. If you are in need of motivation to be obedient, and to walk in humility, just remember that sweet lesson learned in a South American country, during a beautiful altar call: your humility is a catalyst for His Glory.
