How often have you asked the question, “God why aren’t you answering my prayer?”. You have prayed, sought God, and even prayed some more, but there still seems to be no answer. It is in that moment that we often get frustrated or even give up because we think God isn’t going to answer, or maybe He has closed the door. While God sometimes can say no to our requests, often, I think we are missing the bigger picture of what God wants to do in and through us. We don’t see and maybe even don’t allow Him to accomplish what He wants. We are so focused on what we want that we fail to see what He wants. I have faced this as a challenge when making decisions here in the ministry, especially when it comes to deciding where to start churches. Even though the Lord has guided us in almost miraculous ways putting us in the exact place, at the exact time and even with the exact people that we needed to reach, it can still be a challenge.
For the past few months we have been praying that the Lord would give us a place to rent in an area of our city called Pacata, where we are wanting to start our new church. During this time, I have to be honest that I have questioned why the Lord was not opening the door to give us a place to rent. In the mean time we started meeting in a small store front of a friend, in an area a few miles past where we have planned to start the church. All the time, being a little frustrated that we couldn’t find a permanent place, I was missing what God was wanting to accomplish. The place where we have been meeting, is also where not only our friend lives but also some of his family that are not saved. During these past few months, his sister in law has been saved, his mom and dad are now attending the services and we are now working on his brother who recently made a profession of faith. So while I was being impatient, God was using this time to reach people that probably would not have been reached other wise.
The exciting news is that now, in God’s timing, He has provided a place for us to meet in Pacata. Once again He has opened the doors and lead us to the perfect place to start the church. Driving through Pacata, to get to where we are now having service, I have often prayed that the Lord would give us the right building in the right place even praying for a specific area as I would pass by. Well guess where we found the new church building? Yes right where I was praying for. When we spoke with the owners, they said that a few months ago they were going to offer the location in the newspaper for rent but decided to wait before they did. They were going to put it in the newspaper this week right when we called to ask about it. They are not Christians yet but are excited about us starting a church in their building and have promised to be at the first service in a few weeks. We praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy and once again learn the lesson that we must trust in His timing because He knows best. We want to thank you for praying and would like to ask you to now pray for us during this transition and that the Lord will continue to open the doors as we seek to reach many people in this area.
