I Hear it in the Thunder and the Rain

You probably already know this, but if you didn't...I LOVE the rain. That has been a really fun part of being here, the afternoon/evening thunderstorms that happen almost every day. There is a little log cabin called the General Store that has a lovely porch, a perfect place to sit in shelter from the rain and still enjoy the full beauty of the storm.

On Sunday I sat there, praising God for all the things I love about the rain falling around me. I love the pitter-patter as it hits the building, and the slight difference you can hear as it hits the grass and leaves of the trees nearby. I love how it dances in the street. How the thunder travels across the sky, rumbling as it moves along with the brilliant flashes of light accompanying it.

I love the promise in Isaiah 55:10-11, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." What God speaks to me is like the rain soaking into the ground and nourishing it. A few weeks ago I sat outside and let the rain pour down on me until I was soaked. I want to treat God's Word like that. Soaking it in, cherishing it, really feeling it as it falls on me. Trusting His purposes.

Also, sometimes I can't see the rain as it falls. The way the light is shining can trick my eyes. But if I look to the side, or shift my focus, I can see it. Just like sometimes, I can't see what God is doing, I'm not hearing what He is saying. But His word is still going forth. He is still accomplishing what He desires in my life.

Sometimes I will know it, feel it as it pours over me. Sometimes I won't be able to see it or understand it. But at all times: I know that God is with me, He is actively moving towards His purposes in my life, and He is showering me with blessings. 

Standing in the Gap

I'm here in Colorado Springs, with a little over 2 weeks left in the Global Student Program with Navs. Things God has been revealing to me lately have inspired me to start this blog. I've considered starting one for a while, but recent lessons have encouraged me to step out and share the amazing things God is teaching me with all of you. 


God has really been showing me more of His love for the nations since being here, and has burdened my heart specifically for Muslim people. This new passion shocked me at first; definitely not what I was expecting from this summer. But upon reflecting and processing it, I can see how God has led up to this time and has been preparing my heart, and I want to share that with you.


My second year at Long Beach, before deciding to go to Russia, I really considered going to Bangladesh: a predominantly Muslim country. When my friends Alicia and Justin returned from their trip that summer to the Middle East, their stories of what God was doing brought me to tears. The speaker at our Nav conference was a missionary in the Middle East. Some Muslim students started coming to our Nav events towards the end of last semester. And I had been praying for my friends on this summer's Middle East trip in the weeks leading up to the night that changed my heart. 


Dr. Nabeel Jabbour, a Christian from the Middle East, came and spoke to us at our evening meeting and morning seminar. He spoke about Islam and the Muslim worldview and how to reach out to them. One verse that really stood out to me was Ezekiel 22:30, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." Then he challenged us to pray for God to connect us with a Muslim, and to stand in the gap for Muslims until God gives us a different calling. The whole time he was talking, describing these people, telling stories, challenging us, God was really opening my heart up to these people who are so often misunderstood, judged, and mistreated.
  
I am so excited for all the possibilities that lie ahead, and how God will continue shaping my heart to reach out to Muslims. To be bold and wise in sharing with them who Jesus is, and the great joy He offers them. For now, that looks like praying for them and learning about them so I can love them well and enter into their culture. 


"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." 
- 1 Corinthians 9:22-23