German Missionary Update
Here’s the Deal with Fear
The last two weeks have felt like two years. The Spiritual Winds have been howling since we burned our ships and set our face like flint (Is 50:7). We exercised our faith – our determination to follow God at all costs. The last 336 hours have swirled between wholesome and hard conversations, good and bad news, and joyful and sorrowful tears. We take three steps forward only to learn one was a misstep. The tip of our sword has been refined by the fire of people’s questions. We have poured out our prayers over financial spreadsheets. We have personally shared our news with our best friends and church in Potsdam. We have cried more tears than the 70% of water our bodies hold.
On Sunday, at small group, we threw up our hands. Our snot-bubble tears followed a meek, worn-down confession sounding like biblical text, “Pardon me my lord, but if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’” (Judges 6:13–24) How was God to use us in our less than warrior appearance?
A dear friend lovingly urged, “I think you both need to read Gideon’s story.”
We dusted off Judges 6-8 and started to read. It prompted me to send a text message to Nate. It said, ‘Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said: ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’ Can't you imagine unassuming, fearful Gideon looking around for the man of valor the Lord was addressing! Was God being sarcastic? Or did He see more in Gideon than Gideon saw in himself?”
We pick up Gideon’s story from there. The Lord reveals Himself and affirms His call through a powerful display of fire consuming an offering. Gideon partners with the Lord’s plan to tear down his family’s idols. However, he does this under the cover of darkness, because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day. The angry crowd confronts Gideon’s family, but Gideon doesn’t come out of the house to defend himself or God, rather his dad speaks on his behalf.
Then, only because he was covered in the Spirit of the Lord, He blows his trumpet and summons 32,000 men to join the Lord’s fight. He gets afraid again and begs the Lord not to get angry as he asks not just once but TWICE for the Lord to confirm His presence. With Gideon’s confidence building the Lords sends 22,000 soldiers home before the battle even begins. He then strips Gideon’s army again when he asks Gideon to “observe who laps their water like a dog.” Finally, compassionately and patiently God tells Gideon to go down to the camp before the war so he can overhear how afraid the enemy is of Gideon’s Israelite army.” The and only then is Gideon is finally ready for battle.
By no human standards is Gideon a “mighty warrior” as the Lord called him. Gideon must have felt just as weak and vulnerable as we often do. Especially when God disqualified 9,700 men, leaving only 300 men to battle against a 135,000-member army.
God created an impossible situation of human weakness to exalt His own strength and leave no doubt that when the battle was won, it was because of His work, not man’s. Accomplishing God's purposes is not determined by the Excel financial spread sheet, or whether we rent or own a house, or by the effectiveness of our fundraising elevator pitch. God is looking to glorify Himself on earth through people who are fully dependent on Him, who believe He is with them, and who are ready to charge the hill in the name of the Lord!
I wrote another text to Nate. It read, “So, Nate, just at Gideon does in Judges 7:19, I am standing at the edge of the enemy’s camp with you. I am ready to blow my trumpet and break my jar. And then, while grasping the torch in our left hand and holding the trumpet in our right, we will shout, ‘A sword for the Lord and Nashville!’”
Gideon is teaching us so much … And here is the deal with fear … God knows us intimately, which means he also knows what it takes to build our faith to follow Him at all costs. Gideon was ordinary, in a constant state of fear, and needed double portions of assurance. God was not intimidated or disappointed by his weaknesses. God used him, He will use us, despite our less than warrior appearance.
Sincerely,
Brittany
4 Lessons to Remember:
1. God sees more in us than we do.
One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that God only uses special people. (Judges 6:12)
2. God confirms His asks with His presence.
Gideon needed a personal encounter with God. God met him right where he was, giving him a sense of peace and purpose by His promised presence. (Judges 6:13-24)
3. God is patient with our fears.
Even when this "Doubting Thomas" of the OT reverses the test in v. 39, asking that the fleece be dry and the ground covered with dew, God graciously confirmed His power to Gideon. Our Lord was developing this man into a fully convinced servant, matching each doubt with kind reassurance. (Judges 6:33-40)
4. God protects us from ourselves.
v2. “And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” (Judges 7:1-8)
How you can pray and praise with us:
We believe our trumpet sounds like a battle cry of prayers and praise.
Please pray for us to hear and bravely respond to every one of God’s asks. Let us praise Him for all the steps we have taken and the doors He has opened!
Please pray for our community in Potsdam to continue to rejoice with us in God’s clear plan. Praise the Lord that He has stabilized that church and the two Pastors are doing such a great job!
Please pray for the final pieces of our new ministry to come together. Praise the Lord, we are getting ever so close!
Please pray for new financial partners to join the work. Praise the Lord for those who have given towards plane tickets which means we can ALL return in July to say good-goodbyes!
Please pray for our family to be emotionally present and available as we celebrate Will’s graduation this weekend. Praise the Lord for all He has done in Will's heart and the confidence we have to launch him off to college!
The last two weeks have felt like two years. The Spiritual Winds have been howling since we burned our ships and set our face like flint (Is 50:7). We exercised our faith – our determination to follow God at all costs. The last 336 hours have swirled between wholesome and hard conversations, good and bad news, and joyful and sorrowful tears. We take three steps forward only to learn one was a misstep. The tip of our sword has been refined by the fire of people’s questions. We have poured out our prayers over financial spreadsheets. We have personally shared our news with our best friends and church in Potsdam. We have cried more tears than the 70% of water our bodies hold.
On Sunday, at small group, we threw up our hands. Our snot-bubble tears followed a meek, worn-down confession sounding like biblical text, “Pardon me my lord, but if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’” (Judges 6:13–24) How was God to use us in our less than warrior appearance?
A dear friend lovingly urged, “I think you both need to read Gideon’s story.”
We dusted off Judges 6-8 and started to read. It prompted me to send a text message to Nate. It said, ‘Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said: ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’ Can't you imagine unassuming, fearful Gideon looking around for the man of valor the Lord was addressing! Was God being sarcastic? Or did He see more in Gideon than Gideon saw in himself?”
We pick up Gideon’s story from there. The Lord reveals Himself and affirms His call through a powerful display of fire consuming an offering. Gideon partners with the Lord’s plan to tear down his family’s idols. However, he does this under the cover of darkness, because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day. The angry crowd confronts Gideon’s family, but Gideon doesn’t come out of the house to defend himself or God, rather his dad speaks on his behalf.
Then, only because he was covered in the Spirit of the Lord, He blows his trumpet and summons 32,000 men to join the Lord’s fight. He gets afraid again and begs the Lord not to get angry as he asks not just once but TWICE for the Lord to confirm His presence. With Gideon’s confidence building the Lords sends 22,000 soldiers home before the battle even begins. He then strips Gideon’s army again when he asks Gideon to “observe who laps their water like a dog.” Finally, compassionately and patiently God tells Gideon to go down to the camp before the war so he can overhear how afraid the enemy is of Gideon’s Israelite army.” The and only then is Gideon is finally ready for battle.
By no human standards is Gideon a “mighty warrior” as the Lord called him. Gideon must have felt just as weak and vulnerable as we often do. Especially when God disqualified 9,700 men, leaving only 300 men to battle against a 135,000-member army.
God created an impossible situation of human weakness to exalt His own strength and leave no doubt that when the battle was won, it was because of His work, not man’s. Accomplishing God's purposes is not determined by the Excel financial spread sheet, or whether we rent or own a house, or by the effectiveness of our fundraising elevator pitch. God is looking to glorify Himself on earth through people who are fully dependent on Him, who believe He is with them, and who are ready to charge the hill in the name of the Lord!
I wrote another text to Nate. It read, “So, Nate, just at Gideon does in Judges 7:19, I am standing at the edge of the enemy’s camp with you. I am ready to blow my trumpet and break my jar. And then, while grasping the torch in our left hand and holding the trumpet in our right, we will shout, ‘A sword for the Lord and Nashville!’”
Gideon is teaching us so much … And here is the deal with fear … God knows us intimately, which means he also knows what it takes to build our faith to follow Him at all costs. Gideon was ordinary, in a constant state of fear, and needed double portions of assurance. God was not intimidated or disappointed by his weaknesses. God used him, He will use us, despite our less than warrior appearance.
Sincerely,
Brittany
4 Lessons to Remember:
1. God sees more in us than we do.
One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that God only uses special people. (Judges 6:12)
2. God confirms His asks with His presence.
Gideon needed a personal encounter with God. God met him right where he was, giving him a sense of peace and purpose by His promised presence. (Judges 6:13-24)
3. God is patient with our fears.
Even when this "Doubting Thomas" of the OT reverses the test in v. 39, asking that the fleece be dry and the ground covered with dew, God graciously confirmed His power to Gideon. Our Lord was developing this man into a fully convinced servant, matching each doubt with kind reassurance. (Judges 6:33-40)
4. God protects us from ourselves.
v2. “And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” (Judges 7:1-8)
How you can pray and praise with us:
We believe our trumpet sounds like a battle cry of prayers and praise.
Please pray for us to hear and bravely respond to every one of God’s asks. Let us praise Him for all the steps we have taken and the doors He has opened!
Please pray for our community in Potsdam to continue to rejoice with us in God’s clear plan. Praise the Lord that He has stabilized that church and the two Pastors are doing such a great job!
Please pray for the final pieces of our new ministry to come together. Praise the Lord, we are getting ever so close!
Please pray for new financial partners to join the work. Praise the Lord for those who have given towards plane tickets which means we can ALL return in July to say good-goodbyes!
Please pray for our family to be emotionally present and available as we celebrate Will’s graduation this weekend. Praise the Lord for all He has done in Will's heart and the confidence we have to launch him off to college!
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