I Get It Now!
A couple of weeks ago, Jason and I made a bold move in our deputation journey. Where we had been calling churches and sending out emails day after day to set up opportunities to present our burden and call, we decided to take a different approach. We sent out an email blast to over 5,000 churches at once. It took us nearly three days to get everything set up, but once we pushed the button, things started happening. Our inbox filled up faster than we could read the emails.
That’s the good news. The bad news is many of them consisted of messages like “We’re not taking on any new missionaries at this time” or “We’re not in a position to help you at this time.” I get it. I really do. Times are tough, and churches are struggling. But let me tell you, receiving that many rejections at once was beyond overwhelming. As the responses rolled in, the little voice in my head grew louder, “You’re never going to raise all your support. You’ll never get to Wales.” By the end of the first day, I was discouraged. By the end of the second, I was nearly despondent. Why had we created such a frustrating situation for ourselves? As I contemplated that question, I finally understood the Lord’s reasoning for only allowing the children of Israel to conquer the Promised Land little by little.
“And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.”
Obviously, if God had wanted to, He could have wiped out all the enemies with a single breath. After all, He’s God. But notice what He told the children of Israel. He said He would not drive them out in one year but little by little. Why? So the land wouldn’t be desolate, and the beasts of the field wouldn’t outnumber them. In other words, God knew they couldn’t handle that much area at once. They needed to work their way in and conquer the land a little bit at a time. With each victory, their faith in God grew. Had they had to face all the enemies at once, they would have, no doubt, given up and run back to Egypt. God knew that, so He made it so they would have to take their time.
I’ll be the first to admit, I am not a patient person. I hate waiting! I am all for putting in the work, but I want to see results immediately when I do. I’m not too fond of putting in hours of time and effort and seeing no results. Nope, that’s not for me! But after our recent email blast, I now understand God’s wisdom in pacing things. That’s not to say the idea was a complete failure. It did result in our being able to book a lot of meetings. In fact, a couple of months are almost full, not to mention the dates we have scattered throughout the calendar through April of next year.
That being said, there were some tear-filled days and several days of sitting at the computer for LONG hours weeding through emails, rejections, requests, and missionary questionnaires, all while trying to figure out how to fit the meetings into the appropriate time slots and areas of the United States. And, we’re not even done yet. Not even close!
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m thankful for the results we’ve had, and I’m thrilled to be booking meetings, especially in the light of the current COVID mess. But, I also have a better understanding of why God often advises us to slow down and take things one step at a time. While little by little may seem tedious and frustrating, usually, it’s for our own good. . .and sanity.
Yes, we live in a world of instant gratification, but God often has other plans. Plans for our good and His glory. Plans that will work out so much better than we could ever imagine. Plans that could save us a great deal of heartache. Friends, let’s be patient. Waiting time is not wasting time. God is working, and He’ll get us to where we need to be little by little.