Speaking in Symphony

In a meeting this week I was asked to describe the way God spoke to me when it came to deciding to move to Australia before I was aware of any open door.  I suppose I can describe it as similar to a symphony:  a crowd of musicians playing a variety of instruments led by one Conductor.  God is unlimited in the means and manner He speaks to us, confirming His leading by the Bible, other people, what some people might call "coincidence," and the witness of our own conscience, motives, and thoughts.  God is intimately acquainted with all people and knows the way to communicate in a way we can receive.  When we seek the LORD He is faithful to speak.

I remember the day very well God's call to go to Australia was crystalised in my mind.  Even the date was significant and unforgettable, commemorated in the title of this blog:  March 4th, 2009.  From early in our relationship my wife always said "March 4th" was her favourite date because it was also an action--something I never thought of.  On a day that started like countless before it, I rose early to spend some time with the LORD in prayer and reading the Bible.

On that particular morning I read Luke 23 and was struck by Luke 23:26:  "Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus."  I imagined what was going through the mind of Simon, a Gentile who was "laid hold of" to carry the cross for the bleeding, dying Jesus.  He had come out of his country, something I vaguely felt for years God was leading me to do.  The fact Simon was laid hold of suggests there were no volunteers willing to assist Jesus.  It occurred to me:  that is what the life of a follower of Jesus looks like.  I cried out to God in prayer basically saying, "Let that be me!"

That afternoon the pastoral staff was invited into the pastor's office for our regularly scheduled meeting.  My pastor was impressed by the testimony of a missionary he just heard of:  Gladys Aylward.  He conveyed this amazing story of how she was a British woman who went to China, ended up buying an orphaned child, and ended up being greatly used by God.  When I went back to my office I looked deeper into her story and was gobsmacked:  this was the first person I ever heard of who had a particular place on her heart--God put China on her heart without knowing anything about it, and God had done the same to me concerning Australia, specifically the east side.  Very strange indeed!

Being a Wednesday, I went home from work to exercise, shower, and have dinner before returning to church for the evening service.  As I walked past the globe in our home, I thought to myself:  what is the furthest east point of Australia?  I spun the globe and found Brisbane.  I tackled exercise with earnest, literally raising my voice to God to provide direction and help me to know His will.  Ten minutes in I thought I heard my flip-phone ring and contacted my wife Laura who told me I needed to check my email.  One of the high school students in the youth group needed a personal reference right away.  I opened the email and found an attachment of a template for the reference written in gibberish--all except the heading which read:

To: Somebody, Someone

100 Long Street
Brisbane, Australia

I seriously started shouting!  "What!?  God, you are CRAZY!  You are wild!"  After I calmed down a bit I thought, Brisbane eh?  And that's where I started looking.  I found there was a Calvary Chapel plant in Springwood and sent a letter introducing myself and telling my strange story about how I believed God was leading me to somehow minister in some capacity in Australia.  Amazingly my letter received a positive response and it was the first connection I made in Australia which has grown exponentially.  Hearing from God did not mean the process was quick or easy but God was faithful to speak in symphony and provided enough information for each next step of an amazing journey of following Jesus.

I am not a special case.  On the basis of God's Word I have all confidence God will speak to you too when you seek Him in His time and way.  God spoke to Samuel when he was a child who did not even know the LORD!  God has provided His Word and is the best communicator.  We are the weak link with our lack of seeking God and our chronic unbelief.  But praise be to God for His goodness, grace, and mercy.  He has done all things well.

A Purposeful Reminder

We don't have to be the most intelligent human beings to tell the difference between something done on accident or on purpose.  When I was a boy, a friend of mine at school pushed down hard on a see-saw (teeter-totter or whatever those illegal schoolyard apparatuses are called nowadays) and smacked me right in the mouth.  I found myself lying on my back in a daze, blood pouring from a gash in my lip, glad I still had all my teeth.  He was mortified and very apologetic, and I thought or felt no ill towards him whatsoever:  it was an accident, and accidents happen.  There were plenty of times growing up the words and actions of others incensed me because they were mean and hurtful on purpose--even though they didn't involve stitches or result in a scar on the face.

This understanding of the difference between accidents and things done on purpose illustrates an important role reason plays in everyday life.  Because things exist that have intended purpose, by observation I am convinced life itself is filled with purpose.  Meaning and significance does not arise by accident.  What some would call coincidence or blind luck, those who believe God created the heavens and earth see His hand and wisdom at work in countless things.  I do not have the faith to say nothing created the universe, that the metamorphosis of a butterfly is a happy coincidence, or that reason and human understanding has arisen without a reason from random chemicals or cells.  Life cannot arise from non-life, otherwise I might suspect a rug or my couch could swallow me whole.

While I may be in the minority, I believe the only way anyone can experience anything good is because God is good.  Since I have a relationship with the living God who knows, sees, hears, speaks and can do everything, my eyes are at times open to His influence in my world--when I just know something was not done by accident but was on purpose.  As a child you could not have convinced me my friend intended to split my lip open, and there still remains no doubt in my mind since we talked about it later as middle-aged adults.  With childlike faith in a friend I knew truth I could not prove in a test-tube or laboratory.  

The title of this blog is "Marching Forth!" and the background is March 4th was my wife's favourite date because it was an action.  I was intentional to propose marriage to her on March 3rd so March 4th would be the first full day of our engagement.  There was a reason and purpose behind the title to this blog because it connected with the date I became acutely aware God was calling me to go to Australia after years of wondering:  yep, it was March 4th and can read about it on my post "Speaking in Symphony."  More recently God provided much needed encouragement for me in an unexpected way.  I had sent my U.S. passport in for replacement in January and I was wondering if there was a problem with my application because it was taking a long time.  Yesterday I received my passport, and guess what date it was issued?  March 4th!  It was a lovely way of God reminding of His faithfulness, His calling and His goodness.  He has continued being wonderful, awe-inspiring and glorious without fail.

To some people that would be a random coincidence or accident, but I'll take it as on purpose--a sweet reminder from the LORD He never has forgotten or forsaken me and remains faithful.  By God's grace may I remain faithful to Him, the God who creates life full of purpose and joy for those who trust Him.