This post was originally written in June 2006, yet remains to this day, a reassuring testimony that God has never “let us down.”
In 1990 my wife, our three children, and I moved one thousand miles away from home and extended family for the simple reason that I knew God was calling me to do so. Having answered the call to ministry, I now followed His direction to prepare educationally in a seminary setting. We packed everything we owned into a twenty-eight foot Ryder truck, attached a tow dolly to the hitch and dragged ourselves and our Ford Escort station wagon to a land we had never even seen.
Looking back, I realize that God gave unusually strong faith to accomplish this transition. I also realize that there is a sense in which we were a bit naive. Imagine showing up in Dallas, Texas on a Monday morning with everything you own and having no residence secured wherein to unload any of it. It never even occurred to us that God would fail us. Never once in our young lives had He ever let us down. He still has not. So why am I struggling now?
Our youngest son leaves in two days to begin basic training in the U.S. Army. When he detonated the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) that he had enlisted, fear shot through me in a fashion that I have never experienced. I must admit that panic set in for the next few hours. I love both of my sons dearly. Somehow nineteen years just does not seem qualification enough to make such a weighty decision.
I began questioning him, trying to understand his rationale. I asked all of the usual dad-type questions: Are you nuts?! There is a war on!; Are you trying to give your mother and I a heart attack!?; Did you really pray about this!? Did you!!!??? He assured us that he had sought God’s guidance and that he did know that there was a war in progress. Those answers did not make it all better.
In my prayer time this morning, God burst a bombshell in my heart.
“Strong faith will never be realized until one leans heavily upon it. We seldom lean heavily upon faith until we have no other choice.”
Just as Donna and I left home and family to prepare for service many years ago, our son leaves home to prepare for service. He will travel to a place he has never been. He will endure rigorous training and much hardship. I am sure that just as his mother and I wept together in the dark of the night, so will he. In reality, we have taken paths not as opposite as I first thought.
Therefore, my prayer is that God give my son the faith of Paul, the courage of Stephen, and the dedication of Luke. As for his mother and me, we pray for the faith to trust God in ways we have not before; not for our own journey, but for the journey our son will take to lands unknown. May we each lean heavily upon His mighty arm.
Speak Your Mind