Learning To Trust God Completely

I recently read a short devotional on the spiritual life of the Prophet Elisha. As you encounter him in 2 Kings, you will soon come to the conclusion that he did some pretty strange things. 

He purified a bad well by throwing some salt into it (2 Kings 2:20-22), he raised a dead child by stretching out on top of him (2 Kings 4:34-35), he removed poison from some food by throwing flour into it (2 Kings 4:41), and he made a heavy axe head float in the Jordan River (2 Kings 6:6).

This odd behavior on Elishas’s part was not to draw attention to himself, rather he did these things because God told him to. His obedience to the Lord’s commands was always immediate and unquestioning. 

One day, Elisha and his servant found themselves in the city of Dothan, surrounded by the chariots and horses of the Aramean army who were ready to attack them. The servant is understandably distressed, but given Elisha’s history of obedience to God, he calmly assures the servant, and then asks God to open the servants eyes to the spiritual reality around them - a hillside covered with chariots of fire and an angel army standing ready to engage the enemy! (2 Kings 6:17)

Why wasn’t Elisha afraid. Because he was aware of what God was doing behind the scenes. Elisha knew God’s heart so well that he obeyed without hesitation, without question, even when God’s words or ways didn’t make sense. And because he knew his Creator’s heart, he trusted Him completely. 

As I read about these things, I was reminded that God’s desire is for each of us to know Him as deeply as Elisha did, so that, we too, can live lives of surrendered obedience to Him, responding to even the most confusing circumstances with faith and trust in His Word. 

In these strange times in which we are living today, it is important for us to become more sensitive to what God is doing behind the scenes in our lives. It is very easy to lose sight of His hand at work when we are distracted by so many other things taking place around us and demanding our attention. 

The Lord is at work..

Personally, I have been acutely aware of God working behind the scenes in our lives and  and ministry during this time of the Corona Virus Pandemic. Even though plans for the launch of The Peter Project Initiative in Ghana in May did not materialize, the Lord is still at work as he prepares the hearts and minds of prospective Bible Students there. This waiting time has not been wasted time.

Pastor Matthew Yennaah in Ghana has begun the process of registering the 15 students who have enrolled so far. I hope to introduce some of these students to you in our next newsletter. He has also recruited 4 teachers who will be teaching the courses.

Students registering for pastoral training in Ghana

By way of a reminder, the mission of the Peter Project Initiative is to provide a basic, non-formal theological training to the untrained pastors and church leaders throughout the continent of Africa, from our home base in Cape Town, South Africa. 

This program involves a biblical, systematic, portable and comprehensive life-on-life approach that provides the foundational equivalent of a good Bible College or Seminary education. The training takes about two and a half years to complete at a cost that is affordable in nearly every context. A portion of the funds we raise goes toward offsetting some of these costs to the students. 

During this time of preparation and waiting we have been able to order the first batch of study materials and study Bibles for each registered student. The next step in the process is for me to travel to Ghana when the restrictions are eased, at which time I will conduct a training workshop with the selected national teachers who will do the on the ground teaching of their own people. 

Even though the process has been delayed, I know that God has been at work behind the scenes putting many things in place, as well as preparing hearts and minds.

Please pray…

I would ask you to pray with us for the country of Zimbabwe where there is the potential to take this program to another 15 students in various locations in that country. Pray also for open doors for the Peter Project Initiative in other countries throughout Africa where the need is great. 

Church Service in Rural Zimbabwe

Our desire is to train and equip national pastors to reach their own people for Christ who will then plant churches that plant churches! Pray for the Lord to continue His work behind the scenes!

Thank you to all of who have recently given toward the Peter Project Fund. Your gifts make it possible for these untrained pastors to receive the education and training they need to effectively reach their own people for Christ. 

Donation details…

If you would like to make a donation to the Peter Project Fund, you can do so either by sending a check to IFM, PO Box 7791, Greensboro, NC 27407 (please clearly mark your donation “Peter Project”) or by logging onto www.ifmnews.com where you can give online. (Choose “Peter Project” from the drop down menu.)

Thank you for praying for us and our ministry and be assured of our prayers for you and your families during these trying times. Remember that the Lord is not idle and is working in unexpected ways in your life right now. Ask Him to open your eyes so that you can look past the physical crisis in front of you right now and see the spiritual reality of a hillside covered with chariots of fire. 

 Our prayer for you all at this time is: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power…” Ephesians 1:17-19