January 24, 2009
Send us out, God!!!
I am currently reading a book that Jess has already finished and told me that I should read. It is about a family in Sarajevo, Bosnia in the early 90s. It is the story about what happens to them as the Serbians come in to “cleanse” Bosnia to make a Greater Serbia. When Jess and I watch movies, I am the one telling Jess, “it’s just a movie…their actors…it’s fake blood,” but I have to admit that this book has been churning my stomach. I find myself continuing to read even though my emotions say put it down. While it is fiction, it is breaking my heart and toying with fears at the same time. It is hard to believe what it must have been like for those Bosnians in the midst of being removed from their homes, seeing their friends and family “with no face” on the side of the road as they find the next safest place for them to go. I know that there are some of you that are afraid of anyone going to take the Beautiful News of the Hope of Glory all over the world. Well, I found my mind thinking, “what if it happened again?” What if something happened to Jess and I could do nothing about it. That terrifies me! Well, that brings me to the whole reason I couldn’t help but spill out my heart to you.
I went for a run two days ago and today, and both times I have listened to a song that I believe God has used to truly stir my heart. It is “God of This City” by Chris Tomlin. As I have been listening to the song each time, I have listened to it as a prayer for Sarajevo…a prayer for Bosnia…a prayer for the world. Horrible things have happened in that place, and we wonder where the Lord is when awful events like that happen. You know what…He is there. He is there all along. He does not want those things to happen, but they do. I could try to write you a theological discertation attempting to explain to you why God allows unexplainable things to happen. Ultimately, I truly believe that those events are just that…”unexplainable.” But, I believe in the Word. I believe that it is truth, and it tells me that God is good. He loves us and never forsakes us.
So, our God in heaven was in Sarajevo when those events began. He was there when the war ended. He is there now. I want to be able to show people that He is there. I want to tell them that He is good. I want to help them see that He loves them and wants all men to be saved. I don’t know who all will be brought to trust in Christ, but I rejoice in the opportunity that God would use me to plant a seed. Even if Jess and I never saw a single Bosnian’s eyes opened to grace, we will get to be a part of God’s promise to His people.
Further, who am I to say, “Surely not us, Lord. There will be others to do the work. I need to be smart. I need to keep my family safe. The economy is just too rocky, maybe later. Maybe when we retire.” Oh, that Jess and I could continuously shout, “SEND US OUT, GOD!!!” Perhaps not everyone is “called” to go. But, as followers of Christ, we are all “commanded” to go. I hope that no one reads this as a rebuke because it is not. I struggle daily with my flesh. I can feel its claws come out and hold on for dear life to Wal-Mart, Suddenlink, friends who speak English down the street, the thought of what we would do in the event of an unexpected pregnancy, the worry of what our families might think, and Chick-Fil-A (and these are just a few). We have been watching so many of our close friends get pregnant, and in so many cases think, “We are already older than them!” I could go on and on. The Bible says that the “flesh is weak,” but in other ways, it is much stronger than we want it to be.
Allow me to let A.W. Tozer sum up what I am trying to say: “The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately, and forever.”
While all of the other tribes of Israel received land, God told Levi, “I am thy part and thine inheritance.” Tozer states that God, “by those words made him richer than all his brethren, richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world.” I want that. God is enough! Therefore, as I fight with my flesh, I know that God has commanded us to go, and I praise God for my beautiful bride who showed me her heart and dream for His Kingdom goals on earth and convinced me to be a part of that. We are going, and if we lose all, we have our Father in Heaven; and that makes us “richer” than Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Donald Trump, Bono, Oprah Winfrey combined.
So, Christ is the Lord of Bosnia! He is the Lord of Sarajevo, Istanbul, Berlin, Moscow, Cairo, Baghdad, Shanghai, Jerusalem, and the list goes on! And I believe that “greater things have yet to come, and great things are still to be done in this city.” Lord, let us walk in your grace and truth and show the world the Hope of Glory, Jesus Christ. There is NO ONE like You, God!!! SEND US OUT!!!
So the “city” may know Hope,
billy.
