A friend recently make the statement he was "waring with God." I definitely think God would win, but I think it accurately described my struggle with what God had planned for me. I am not sure when the Lord laid it on my heart to surrender to the minister, but I have been disobedient to the call for some time now. I have avoided, argued, and sometimes highly doubted what I was supposed to do. As many of you know, I have worked with youth for sometimes and continue to serve as a Sunday School teacher with my wife, yet something was missing. On the brink of graduation, our future loomed with the grayness of uncertainty, but Wednesday night Kari and I petitioned the Lord for direction and guidance. How quickly God moved took us by surprise. After school on Thursday I had an encounter with God. These phrase my seem foreign to some, but it is the best way I can describe it. As I was walking to my car from campus, a lady stops to allow me to go around her, but I say its all right and we begin to chat on our way to the parking lot. Before we went our separate ways she asked if I was going to teach with my history degree, and I confessed I was unsure what God had planned and I was struggling with what He has in store (often times I usually talk with people vaguely, but I was uncommonly candid with her). The lady asked me to stop and she reached into her pocket and put a red stone in the palm of my hand and said this is a drop of Jesus' blood and I am here to tell you that God loves you and through prayer and scripture He will reveal his will. I had told her I was married and she proceeded to hand me another stone and said give this to your wife. This wake-up call hit me in the face. I sat in my car, prayed and cried with thanksgiving.
I shared the encounter with a few people and Kari. We both prayed throughout the weekend and were sure what I needed to do was surrender. During the invitation, as I Surrender All played, Pastor Steve asked one last time, "Are there any other decisions?" Kari and I looked at one another, talked a second and I asked her, "...And you would live in a hut in Africa if that's where God calls us?" She replied, "Yes, this is what you need to do." She accompanied me down the isle and I spoke to Brother Daniel about what God what been nudging me to do for sometime. A peace and stress was lifted Sunday morning when I finally decided to faithfully jump into what God had called me to do. My "war with God" is over, but I would ask for continued prayers as Kari and I continue to seek God's next step in our journey. God Bless
4 comments:
Very cool Jeremy!!!! I have enjoyed reading about how God is moving in you life through your blog. I look forward to seeing what specific ministry He calls you into. I will be praying with you as you are moving forward with God (which is so much better than the struggle :)
Jeremy,
"The War with God is Over" but the struggle remains. "What does God want me to do?" It may be youth or any number of things, but as you "struggle" God will reveal that to you as well. There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will.
Congrats! Thanks for sharing this inspiring story.
I find that my human side struggles daily to allow me to be faithful to the tasks God has called. May God continue to give you the encouragement & His strength you will need to follow His plans.
What a great story. So cool to see God move in your life. So now what? Follow God's call...far easier said than done. Insurance is much safer than a hut in Africa.
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