Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Lord, bring us to a good land!

God continues to show us that we are following His lead in this work in Zambia. As He confirms our steps and guides us along the way, it encourages us and reminds us that this is not a work of our own making. We are simply cooperating in the work that HE has already planned, initiated, and is bringing to completion. We are privileged to play a part in it – but it is His project, not ours.

Our friends, Mark and Betsy Meyer, are on their way to Zambia. One of the tasks they hope to accomplish is the securing of the land for the Hope Children’s Center. We believe that we have found the ideal plot of land. It is close to the town market. It is just down the path from a school for the children. There is a small river on the land which maintains water even in the dry season – perfect for irrigating the gardens that will feed the children. There is even a small orchard of fruit trees surrounded by a shelter belt of evergreens – a sweet and nutritious treat for the kids!

When we first walked on it, Navice’s wife lifted her hands in praise and said, “This is it! It is Canaan land!” We all shared her joy and stopped right there to thank God for leading us there and asked Him to provide us that land for the Center.

While the purchase of the land seemed to be in our grasp, it wasn’t long before we hit a snag. The owners doubled, and then tripled the price. We were discouraged to say the least. But Navice has continued to be our eternal faith-filled optimist. Set-backs are part of life in Africa and it takes far more than this to discourage him! He knows God is in this and trusts that He will either give us that particular plot – or lead us to something better. I love that – and his faith inspires me.

And so today as I bid Mark and Betsy good-bye, I turned to my Bible and came across this passage…
Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and revering Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
(Deuteronomy 8:6-9)
Though this promise was given to the people of Israel long ago, it reminded me that God can provide such things for His people. It reminded me of His goodness and generosity toward us. And the picture these verses paint formed a picture in my mind of what I long for Him to provide for our Zambian friends.

Will you pray with us for God to provide and secure the land we need for the Hope Children’s Center? Pray that it will be a lavish expression of His goodness to take care of His people. Pray that it will cause even the unbelievers around to exclaim, “God must be in this!” And pray that Mark and Betsy will have the deep sense of trust that God is leading them (on behalf of all of us). I can’t wait to see what He has in store!

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