Peace in the Storm

We continue to adjust to no longer being in Mozambique. As many of you have discerned, there is more ‘story’ to the story but basically God used a ‘storm’ to speak to us clearly, that our time of service in Mozambique had come to an end. It was comforting to hear a voice of peace in the storm. We spent many days questioning what we heard because we didn’t want to leave Mozambique. In the end, we realized that there is a ‘story above the story’ as God’s Spirit moves and accomplishes His purposes in ways that are “the secret things of God” (Deut 29:29). As in all storms of life, it isn’t the storm, in fact the ‘story’ really has no importance other than whether we will choose to trust Him to take us through it, or not….Do we trust Him, ...or not? Is He in control, or not?

The book of Ezekiel begins with a storm (“I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north--an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light”) and yet, after a time of waiting in the midst of the storm and a discouraging time in Ezekiel’s life, God raises him up (“As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.”) What comfort there is in serving a God, who is with us in the midst of the storms of life, and who speaks to us in ways that challenge our comprehension and full understanding but yet ring true in our hearts.

We freely admit we returned to the States depleted and heartbroken but at the same time full of God’s peace - that we had accomplished that task He had set forth before us and that our part in His story in Mozambique was over. We went to this beautiful land without expectations, agenda, and complete openness to whatever He might lay out before us. We were blessed with the precious work he did set for before us, making disciples through the Village Church Planting program. And now this work continues forward in the capable hands of the National Church as it should. Independent not dependent.

This philosophy is what we had always loved about OMS, that the first thing is the first thing, lives changed through the transforming power of an encounter with Jesus; teaching and making of disciples; that the sons and daughters of a nation are the ones most able to win their country for Christ (Matt 28). All else pales in comparison to this transforming encounter with our Creator. What a privilege to witness this transformation that is not accomplished through the work of men, but rather through the work of God’s Spirit, one soul at a time.

We have been in, what I would describe as, a time of recovery and adjustment, trying to exercise, walk, read, pray as we seek God’s direction for our ‘what is next’. But the message is to rest and recover and this time will hopefully culminate in April when we meet with others in ministry to brainstorm and discover avenues for continued service.

We were walking on a trail to a waterfall in the Smoky Mountains, one that we have walked many times in our lives. A part of the trail went through a large area that had been devastated by tornados last year and only recently reopened. As we walked through this storm-ravaged area, I could sense God’s presence (as I often do when ‘in nature’) as He gave us an object lesson on how He makes our paths straight through the storms of life and has a place he is leading us towards. How much easier to walk His trail than to forge one of our own through the tempests of life. As we stopped at the wonderful falls and enjoyed the sound of the rushing water and the dancing rainbows in the spray, how could we not trust Him who created all of this? HIs ways are not our ways but we know that as His children, he wants to give us bread and not stones, that he wants to hold us in our trials and despair and to come to him as children come to a loving parent. What peace there is in this walk with Him!

As we left the beauty of the forest, we had to stop and wait for two snakes (Eastern ribbon snakes) passing across the trial. After having experienced a precious time of God’s presence, I was almost afraid the snakes were going to turn and speak to us! The temptations of life never stop, the whisper of our enemy never ceases and it is ours to walk around and pass - to not stop and engage him. His goal is to kill and destroy and we see the evidence of his destructive work all through this fallen world.

A beautiful day that did much to restore us and revive us. On the drive home, we had to stop because of an horrible and sudden thunderstorm accompanied by massive amounts of marble-sized hail. It came out of nowhere as most storms in our lives do. We took refuge in a small store at the foot of a mountain, drinking coffee and sampling fudge. Peace in the storm.

May all of us walk that path that He has prepared before us - it is as real as the one we just took through the tornado flattened forest. It is the path we need to desire to walk, for it is the path of peace and the path prepared for us from the beginning.

As the hymn says, Only trust Him, Only trust Him...

With love,

Dave and Ann

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deut 29:29

“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed…” Ps 107:29

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 15:26 as Jesus encouraged his disciples.