In His ever faithful way, God continues to remind Fred and I to trust in Him and to show us why we can.
Now that he has a definite interview date, Fred is busy arranging all of the logistics that accompany it, such as transportation, lodging, etc. He began first by inquiring about bus passages. It is about a 12-hour trip to Recife, but as the cheapest, we thought it was the best choice. That is until God, through divinely orchestrated events, provided some flight tickets at a price even lower than the bus passage. It may seem a small thing, but a short flight is much more agreeable than a bus ride. It was also confirmation of how God continues to go before us, even in the details; and it proved to be a very timely reminder.
The person selling the ticket asked Fred about the purpose of his trip, so Fred told him about his scheduled interview at the U.S. Consulate in Recife. The vendor’s reply was something to the effect of, “Recife? You don’t want to go there. They always say no.” (Hmm, that sounds familiar.)
The news struck fear into Fred, and for a moment, he considered trying to cancel his appointment in Recife and reschedule in Brasilia. His reaction, however, was only momentary before the Holy Spirit reminded him of God’s soveriengn power. “The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord” (Pr. 21:1). From God’s perspective, it doesn’t matter which side of the bed Fred’s interviewers wake up on June 28: the outcome has already been determined.
Recently, a friend recently reminded me about God’s command to Joshua to march around Jericho in Joshua 6: ”And the LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.’” Have: that’s in present tense. Given: that’s past. Together they form the present past tense. In other words, it was a done deal, a completed action. The victory was already won, but God in His grace provides a way for Israel to participate with Him: ”You shall march.” And that was it.
Thnk about how often this mentality is woven throughout Scripture. Ephesians 2:8, 9 is a familiar passage to many of us, but verse ten is sometimes overlooked: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” These works were prepared for us and woven into the fabric of our lives while we were yet being formed: “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them“ (Ps. 139:15, 16).
Elisabeth Elliot often refers to God’s soveriegn plan for our lives as ”marching orders.” The people of Israel recieved literal ones, to which Joshua later added, ”You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout” (v. 10). Can you imagine what it must have been like to march around Jericho for seven days and not say a word? Not one word of complaint or question; not one word spoken in defense to the mocking jeers of the Canaanites upon the wall. Nothing. Silent, strict obedience. No doubt, it was a good thing. First, it kept them from verbally incriminating themselves even if some doubt God’s power or His methods. Two, it kept them from proud, arrogant responses to their enemy.
Fred and I have been given our marching orders. As before with the Israelites, God has graciously provided a way for us to particpate with Him in His work; it’s called prayer. What an effective tool that focuses the power of God on specific situations and frees His hand to move. While tempted to speculate and/or manipulate the situation, we know that simple, quite, persistant obedience is what is necessary for victory; thus, we march.