Today I woke up encouraged about mine and Rachel’s new ministry to the Bibleless people of Papua New Guinea. Currently we are working on building up a team of partners that will send us to the mission field. These partners will be a part of this ministry through prayer, encouragement, and finances. And so far we have only had people commit to pray for us and a few couples speak of their intentions to give, but no apparent fruit yet.
This was completely stressing me out and yesterday I started to wear the results of that stress in the muscles around my shoulders and neck. I had no clue as to why people were not joining our partnership team in a financial way. But then last night Rachel and I had a break through in the form of a meeting with a couple we have known for a few years.
We shared with them the details of our ministry and they were genuinely interested. We did not only talk about our ministry but we got to share stories and just have a great time of fellowship. When we left I could feel the stress, that I had allowed my anxiety to build up, in my shoulders and neck start to relax. This time was encouraging for both Rachel and I.
Before we left they both shared with us the honor they felt from having us invite them to be a part of our support team and that they would definitely join our prayer team. But also that they needed to seek the LORD as to what they should give financially. Now, I know that is not any differnt from the other responses we have been getting, but I guess the time we had spent with them made me really look at this whole process differently.
It is more than just building a partnership team that supports our work, but it is about encouraging others to trust and obey God in their life right where they are. Just like we are trusting and obeying God to provide for this ministry.
See, I did not put all this together till this morning. While reading in my quiet time I came across Hebrews 5:10 where the author writes, “Though He was God’s son, He learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.” And so I felt at that moment a sense of peace and relief in my shoulders that this struggle right now is nothing but God perfecting in us a trusting-obedience to do the hard things.
So I hope this post serves as an encouragement that hardship and suffering comes so that God might build within each of us a trusting-obedience in HIM. Not in ourselves and all that we can do for HIM, but trusting that He will supply all our needs, and obeying HIM when what he calls us to do might not be easy.
Love and blessings to all through our LORD Jesus Christ.
~Matthew Woods
If you would like to be a part of this ministry click here.
The Woods' Walkabout 