Ever come up against a road block that seems impassable. Gone head first into a wall that looms unsurmountable? Faced an impossible situation or expectation?
You're not the first and you won't be the last.
The Hebrew slaves fleeing from Egypt with Moses were cornered between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, with no way out. Later, the Israelite army was convinced it was impossible for anyone to defeat Goliath - they knew they were doomed.
The early church was a small group with few resources facing an ancient world entrenched in idolatrous, destructive and cruel traditions. Carrying out their mission of spreading the Good News "to the ends of the earth" was completely out of their reach.
ITMI's New Life Center, a transitional home in Poland, faced shutting its doors for lack of funds earlier this year. Things looked grim.
ITMI partner, Jahim Buli, was overjoyed to be reunited with his mother after 20 years. However, the pain of her past was making her challenging to live with, and Jahim didn't know what to do. He was in an impossible situation.
From our perspective, these are humanly impossible situations.
The wall is too big, too tall, too insurmountable. But like the pillars of cloud and fire ahead of the Israelites, God is always ahead of us, working all things for our good and His glory. He's breaking down walls, building bridges and forging a path where it doesn't seem possible.
His faithfulness to go ahead of us and prepare the way stands witness to the truth that God is ahead of you, preparing a way through impassable road block in front of you, too!
Here's what happened.
How God Went Ahead of Us
Last month we shared a story of how you - through your support of ITMI's "where most needed fund" helped one pastor overseeing 8 congregations in Zimbabwe and earning $5 in a good month. Together, we sent funds to this pastor through a Cozmore, a ministry contact of ITMI partner, Charl van Wyk in South Africa.
ITMI's contribution enabled this pastor to buy rabbits, feed and materials to construct a proper pen for them. Cozmore immediately took the funds and went to deliver them in Zimbabwe.
Cozmore (far right) with the pastor and his wife in Zimbabwe.
Work on the rabbit pen commenced immediately.
Cozmore breaking ground.
Not long after these photos were taken, we heard from Cozmore via Charl that the pastor had suffered a mild stroke. He was sent home with some "tablets and exercises to do." Charl also added that according to Cozmore, the pastor's "speech is not good."
ITMI didn't know that Pastor Penny was about to suffer this stroke. We still don't know how the stroke will affect his family or his ability to pastor.
We did know that he was in a humanly impossible situation. And God knew it was about to get even more impossible.
He's in Communist Zimbabwe, where the once-thriving and vital economy is now a graveyard. He was making the equivalent of $5 a month. He literally doesn't have 2 pennies to rub together. He has a family to care for.
He was facing an impossible situation.
God knew it was about to get even more unsurrmountable for the family of this faithful national believer working to see God's Kingdom break through the hopelessness of Zimbabwe. And He provided for His children.
This time He used Cozmore, Charl van Wyk, Steve Evers, ITMI's Where Most Needed Fund, and YOU to make it happen.
God led Cozmore to talk to Charl, who mentioned him to me and therefore to ITMI, who was allowed to participate in God's provision of a micro business. That micro business is now is even more important due to the stroke and the possibility that this pastor may not be able to speak in its aftermath.
"God sees all and knows all and can always take care of His children's needs." - Steve Evers
Thank you for being an agent in overcoming an impossible barrier for this family in Zimbabwe through your contributions to ITMI's Where Most Needed Fund!
Maybe you're not facing an impossible situation right now, but you'd like to be a part of helping someone who is. You can help us be ready to respond to situations like this in the future by giving to the Where Most Needed Fund here. Your gift makes you part of achieving the impossible. A superhero.
But...I'm not pastoring 8 congregations. Why would God concern Himself with my needs?
It's easy to take our everyday challenges and think that because they may not be directly related to "mission" they aren't of concern for God.
This couldn't be farther from the truth!
1 - God is concerned with your everyday challenges at work, at home, at church - wherever you are - for the same reason I'm concerned with the challenges of my own kids. They're my kids, so it brings me joy to help them. It comes with being a parent.
2 - God is concerned with your everyday challenges because bringing you good through them brings Him glory.
3 - God is concerned with your everyday challenges because when you do good, he makes your good His own charge.
In Charity and Its Fruits, (as quoted by Matt Perman in What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things ) Jonathan Edwards says this,
If you are selfish, and make yourself and your own private interests your idol, God will leave you to yourself, and let you promote your own interest as well as you can.
But if you do not selfishly seek your own, but do seek the things that are Jesus Christ’s, and the things of your fellow human beings, then God will make your interest and happiness his own charge, and he is infinitely more able to provide for and promote it than you are.
The resources of the universe move at his bidding, and he can easily command them all to subserve your welfare.
Friend, God is out ahead of the challenges you face, working on your behalf!
Perman, Matt. What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. 100. Print.
