“God thunders marvelously with His voice;
He does great things which we cannot comprehend.”
JOB 37:5
Sometimes the best encouragement comes through a true story, especially one that shows the mighty hand of God to be at work among us. Instead of the usual format, I’d like to encourage you this week with a true story. Each day the Encouragement will continue as the story unfolds. You don’t want to miss a single day!
GOD CONFIRMS HIS VOICE THROUGH HIS WORD
“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (16)
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (27)
John 10:16 & 27
The questions continued. As they threatened my peace of mind, I read in God’s Word once again a verse that I often quote to others. It teaches us that while man may make his plans, God directs his steps. Therefore, I decided to continue obeying Scripture the Lord has given me in times past, such as in Matthew 28:19 when he said for us to “go into all the world” making disciples. And Psalm 105:1-3, where His voice spoke to my heart on February 28, 2008, telling me to go, and “make His deeds known to the nations.” In other words, I decided to continue to do what I knew for sure He had called me to do. We continued to make plans for Nicaragua 2015.
Although the memory of the words I’d heard last year remained, and questions continued to roll around in my head, we moved forward. I asked God to confirm His plan, and make it known in my heart. Every single time I asked for confirmation, He would give me a new Scripture verse, or reveal a real life story about what He continued to do in Nicaragua. One day at a time, we kept moving forward. In January the date for the trip changed three times. The voice said, “Are you sure? Did the Lord say…?” Though the threat of harm still hammered in my mind, Scripture never confirmed it … not by one single verse. On the contrary, I kept reading, “Fear not. I am with you. Follow my voice. Trust me.” Verse after verse confirmed His calling to go.
I decided to follow Scripture instead of an unidentified voice that stood alone, without God’s Word backing it up. I told no one about what I’d heard back in 2014, not even Tom. Finally, in February, I confided in my pastor, Pastor Jake, about it. He cautioned that it might be the enemy trying to stop the work. He instructed me to continue to pray and fast, and believe God for the rest. Taking his advice, I moved forward. We asked others to join us in fasting and prayer for the mission. Many of you reading this story did just that. You joined our team in fasting and prayer. And the God of the Universe heard those prayers!
Finally the day came. Ten of us boarded a plane headed for Nicaragua. Even then, the thought invaded my mind, “Will the plane crash or something?” As we landed in Managua, six hours after leaving Greensboro, I heard the unmistakable voice of the Lord whisper, “You are all here, and you are all safe.” “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
At that moment, I knew for sure it was the enemy’s threatening voice I’d heard for a whole year. And I knew why …
WooHoo! Just wait until tomorrow, when you’ll hear the rest of the story!
Until Tomorrow,
Your Traveling Partner,
Brenda