Surround Sound, Full Circle

My husband had a few days of vacation, and we've all been doing some fun things together as a family these past few days, so I've not been as faithful as I would like to be with this blog. However, I've not stopped mulling things over. In fact, there are usually things the Lord is showing me that I need to ruminate about for a few days before I can fully, most precisely convey what I mean about them here. I am working on trying to cut down on the wordage in my blogs.

I've been thinking about how the Lord sometimes speaks in "Surround Sound". I've also heard of it referred to as "In Stereo" moments. In college, my husband and I referred to this same phenomenon as "Jeep" moments. Sounds silly and unrelated, I know, but this was in reference to our version of the old "Slugbug" game, only played with Jeeps, because in Minnesota during the winter, you rarely saw VW Bugs. You may remember that driving 'game' where when you'd see VW Bug and you'd hit the other person in the car playfully and say, "Slugbug!" or hit the ceiling of the car and say, "Pa-diddle". I've heard of several variations of this same game. In any case, a funny thing happens when you play that game. Suddenly, you become very aware of VW Bugs (or Jeeps) in a whole new way. You begin seeing them everywhere. And you're amazed at how many of them there are on the roads.

A similar thing happens when the Lord is trying to get your attention about something. Perhaps a sin in one's life that needs to be dealt with. Or maybe a call to prayer about something or someone specific. Or maybe a tugging to help out in a specific area of ministry or with a specific need. After that initial 'tugging' of the heart, suddenly, you become aware of all the other ways the Lord is trying to get your attention about that very same thing in your life. Not only do you read about it in the Word or your daily devotional book, but then you hear about the same thing on Christian radio (either a show, or lyrics to a song or some comment). Then, you might hear a pastor or Bible study leader speak about it within a couple of hours or days. And then you might even come across it again when talking to a friend, or reading something online, or perhaps even in a complete stranger's comment. Do you know what I'm talking about here? These "surround sound" moments are God speaking to you. It's like He's saying, "Yoo-hoo, Becky, you in there? I'm trying to tell you something here!" (I'm picturing this in a 'New Yawker' accent mix of Joe Pesci and Danny DeVito's voices...perhaps a bit sarcastic, but not angry...just insistently trying to get my attention). We have such a tendency to get so busy and distracted with our day to day lives that we don't take the time we should to truly be still and know that He is God.

I've also been thinking about that scripture from Romans 8:28...And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. I have always loved this verse, but there is a contingency thing at play here...this passage applies to believers...those who Love God.

I just love how in working things for our ultimate good, a lot of times the Lord uses difficult circumstances, hardships, trials, setbacks--whatever it takes--for our ultimate good. And how so many times, there are these amazing "God-incidences" ('God things' that surpass the possibility of being merely coincidental) that occur in our lives. Things that show us what an amazing, awesome God we serve. That show us how His plans are greater than our own, and sometimes, though we can't always see the end result...He often brings things full-circle in ways we never would have imagined.

I recently watched a DVD presentation which Steve Saint (son of Nate Saint, the martyred missionary to the Auca Indians in Ecuador) gave at the World View Conference in Branson, Missouri last year. It was not long after the movie about his father's experience "The End of the Spear" came out in select theaters, and the the associated documentary "Into the Gates of Splendor". Just like Nate Saint's biography "Jungle Pilot", both of these are excellent movies which I highly recommend seeing and perhaps even owning for personal reference. They are chock full of many vivid examples which show how our God is always at work, and that His ultimate concern is to see lives changed through Jesus Christ.

In his talk, Steve Saint took his own personal story a little 'deeper' than the movie or documentary showed. One very obvious and amazing thing about that story, was the forgiveness that was shown to that tribe, and how some of the far reaching affects of that forgiveness wouldn't even be discovered for a couple more decades. That Nate Saint's sister Rachel and Elizabeth Elliot moved in with the tribe that murdered their loved ones, in an effort to bring the Gospel to them...was mercy, forgiveness and grace in action. Talk about a difficult thing to be asked of the Lord to do!

But God intended that against the dark reality of that tribe's murderous sins, the light of God's grace would show that much more brightly, and the lives of that tribe (and countless others who heard about this monumental event) were changed. Nate's strong desire to see that tribe come to Jesus wasn't realized until after the men were martyred, but it soon became apparent that their deaths were the very thing the Lord used to eventually get through to those people living in such darkness. And it did not stop with that. The loved ones of the murdered men continued to pray and reach out to the Auca people, extending grace and forgiveness and mercy to the tribe in a tangible way that was also necessary to bring the Gospel to them.

Another thing I loved about Steve's talk in Branson was that he mentioned a more recent occurrence. One of the 5 missionaries (and I can't remember his name off the top of my head) but he had gone to college and planned to become a professor at the University of Washington. His goal was to use his 'platform' there as professor in a secular University to reach young people for Christ (Plan A). But God had other things in mind for him. Instead, he ended up moving to Ecuador (which Steve referred to as Plan B) to do Mission's work. And it was while he was there that he kept bumping into Nate Saint, who had a firm conviction, almost a Macedonian Call to reach the Auca people, a primitive, unreached people group, with the Gospel of Christ. This missionary was so persuaded, that he chose to take part in Nate's first face-to-face contact with the Auca (Plan C). And died for doing it.

To an outsider not familiar with the ways of the Lord (or the bigger-picture involved here) some might have despaired and felt that it was all for naught. That this man's efforts had been in vain. Perhaps even that all of his education and training had been wasted. But that was not the case at all. Because when God is at work in a person's life, and they draw closer to Him, their hearts begin to change. God had been moving in these men's hearts. Calling them to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice if necessary. Their plans begin to mirror what the Lord desires and requires of them. In the movie there is a poignant scene where Nate tells his young son Steve that he is ready to die (meaning that he's saved), but these people they are trying to reach are not.

Fast forward a few decades, and Steve Saint and his family move to Ecuador to live with the Auca (now believers, "Walking God's trail") in place of Steve's Aunt Rachel who had died of cancer, but had lived with them for the rest of her life. Steve's efforts to help these people to find some means of income for their village (since exporting goods wasn't feasible with people groups living closer to civilization able to do that much more readily and with greater profit), they hit upon the idea to build a replica of the 'stone age' tribal village as it was back before Rachel Saint and Elisabeth Elliot first moved in with the Auca. To be used (as I gather) as a sort of sociological study model for college groups, missions groups, perhaps even Bible Translation groups to come visit, which would provide them a more accurate picture as to what they were dealing with in people groups in the rain forests of Ecuador. Mostly Christian groups came.

However, there was one secular group which sent groups for four years to Ecuador to the Auca tribe. These were four separate groups from the same University. And out of 50 States and the numerous Universities they could have come from...it happened that these came from the University of Washington. And many of those young people from the University of Washington who walked into the rainforest on their 'own' trail, walked out 'walking God's trail', having been 'witnessed' to by the illiterate, primitive tribal peoples, their lives transformed by God's Amazing Grace. From the very University where one of the five martyred Missionaries had desired to bring the gospel...here, decades after his death, fruit was still being borne of his work, and his faithfulness to God's calling, even though his calling necessitated dying for the sake of the Gospel. The blood of those martyrs truly was the seed of the church where the Auca were concerned. (Spurgeon?) And years after that professorial hopeful had died, God brought that man's life dreams and plans full circle after all.

So often, with our finite human eyes, we tend to lose faith or despair that the Lord is doing what He said He would do when we don't see immediate results. We're not willing to continue trusting when things don't go the way we expect them to, but often, we're being asked to trust anyway. To believe when we can't see. God, in His wisdom, chooses to keep some things a mystery (until their appointed time), which is good...because if those missionaries had known for certain what awaited them...they might not have have been willing to go to the Auca. Jonah knew what God wanted him to do by preaching repentance in Nineveh, but ran the opposite direction because He felt those people unworthy of such a message. But when he finally did go where God asked him to, thousands turned to God.

Much of what God asks of us we just need to do without grumbling or complaining, even when we can't see why, but knowing that He has His reasons. We might not see these reasons either, and sometimes they might even seem upside-down or backwards to our human logic...but always, God has a reason. Reasons we may never know this side of Heaven

God is a Sovereign God. His word does not go out void. Our labor for the Lord is never in vain. He has a greater plan and is orchestrating all the details of that plan, using us as He will. It's awe-inspiring, really. To be part of such a 'tapestry' of events in world History. And to know that believers are on the side that wins. And that God has chosen to use even little old, finite me to play some part in the bigger course of events.

I am in awe of you, Lord God Almighty.