Have you ever attempted to pick up the back end of a cotton picker tractor by yourself before? Unless you’re entering the World’s Strongest Man competition, most of us couldn’t even pick up 1/1000 of this kind of weight. So, why do we expect ourselves, others, and in particular, our missionaries to GO, DO, and BE the hands and feet of Christ…all while attempting to do it all in our own strength? If we expect our missionaries to do God’s work in their own strength, how quickly do you think they’ll burnout? I know many of us pay ascent to the fact that we are never to be co-dependent on our spouse to give us what we need in ministry. I know that we would also say we should never tell our missionaries that they need to be self-sufficient and autonomous. But is this sometimes what we expect from them? It’s a very natural yet sinful response to desire to have control over certain things in this life. Missionaries are people too! They struggle with this same dynamic. The only difference is, missionaries are trying and trying and trying to have people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in a foreign land and are quite possibly leaving out the most important part of the equation just like you and me…Christ’s energy and power, not our own.
“…the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the One we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me (Col. 1:26-29).”
We see here that we can do nothing outside of Christ’s power and energy that He gives us. Our missionaries are exactly the same. They must be fully dependent on the Lord for all things in order to make Him known among all nations. We need to pray that our missionaries trust the Lord in all areas and keep their eyes and hearts focused on what HE is doing in and through them.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You didn’t leave us alone to try to do things in our own effort, in our own strength. I pray for (Your Missionary) to be so focused on the desire to go where You will lead them, that everything else would no longer matter. Please allow them to know their worth and work comes only from Your mighty hands. In the strong and mighty name of Jesus, Amen!
