Hello friends!
I thought I would write an update on where I am at so far this summer. I have had the chance to meet now with so many wonderful people and couples that have supported me, encouraged me, challenged me, and prayed for me. How amazing to know that I do not have to go though this journey alone, that there are endless amounts of fellow Christians who are willing to meet with me, hear about what I will be doing in Berlin, and who are willing to commit to pray and even give donations to the cause! What a blessing it has been! Thank you all so much for your love and support.
That being said, I have had to learn a lot of trust in God over the last few weeks. Whenever I look at the amount of funds given and how much I still have to raise, I am tempted to get a little overwhelmed with the large gap there, forgetting that God is in control and doubting myself and my efforts. I think of what I might have done wrong, what mistakes I might have made, and begin to lose hope in reaching the September goal.
I was reading a rather weird but fascinating story of King Nebuchadnezzar this morning, the story in Daniel 4 where God teaches Nebuchadnezzar about His sovereignty. Nebuchadnezzar was very powerful and great, and thought of himself as the one in total control of his kingdom. That all changed when God decided to make him like a beast of the field for a time, taking away his reason and casting him out in the fields to eat grass, as warned about in a dream. When he came to and his reason returned, he wrote:
34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,
for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
Reading this, I was reminded that everything is ultimately determined by God. There is nothing that is outside of His reign and total control. This includes not only my support raising and the ministry in Berlin, but also our eternity and even our next breath. Knowing this, there really isn’t any reasonable excuse for any fear or anxiety when doing His will. It also reminded me of the great importance and power of prayer, as we get to interact and talk with the one who determines all things.
This was a good reminder and encouragement for me, as I hope it is for all of you. I will continue to give updates this summer as more comes along.
- Jeff