“Please pray for us – We’re going to Africa”. That was the prayer card that our eldest made after she’d been watching daddy work on our most recent prayer card. We smiled as we looked at it together, and thought about how adorable it was that she was copying her dad.
But lately I’ve gotten to thinking about her prayer card, and why we are asking people to pray. Is it because Africa is dangerous, or difficult to live in, or an unpleasant place to be? Some of those things may be a bit true, at least from a Westerner’s perspective, but I’m thinking it has less to do with Africa then it has to do with us.
I think about our recent adventures in OK. And even the rest of our training as a whole. I feel like God has given me a beautifully stretching opportunity to see myself these past couple of years. To see strengths and see weaknesses. To see even just a little bit of the ugliness that can come out when I am put into situations that I may not like so much. Times where I realize that I have nothing to offer anyone… in myself. And then He steps in and whispers, “You have Me. Lean on Me. Offer Me and you won’t be disappointed.”
And sometimes, just like that, it’s like a light bulb and I go, “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?!” And other times I am a bit stubborn and want to keep going at it, so He lets me push a little past the end of myself, and I finally give up. But He doesn’t. He’s there as I give in.
That’s when I get to see the beauty that happens when I surrender myself to Him. I see His strength in my weakness, and I once again stand in awe of the gracious, faithful God that I serve! He provides in my need, and I can rest in the security of knowing that He can, will, and does use me!
We too often fool ourselves into thinking that we can fix everything by ourselves if we try hard enough, when the truth is: He is the one who will change the lives of those we seek to reach, and in the process, He is changing our lives!
-Stacy
taber says
May Jehovahs love continue to bless your family and protect you
Tamara says
I love it. 🙂 Praying for you!