In the last verses of the book of Acts, the author Luke writes about Paul awaiting trial, guarded by a Roman soldier and unfairly chained (28:16, 20), and he was “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (28:31).
In missions we all want the ‘without hindrance’ part! But God may have different plans for his and our good.
Will God Keep Working Even When We Can’t Make Plans?
The Pandemic seems to have frustrated a lot of missions strategy. What is God showing us?
All Christians are called to be involved in missions. Even though some planning is necessary, we are not expected to see the end result. We are expected to step out “with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22), knowing that His plans are never thwarted. We trust in a God who has saved us, not by faith in a strategy, but by faith in Him!
What Culture Shock Can Teach Us During COVID-19
Seeing myself and those around me deal with the sudden COVID-19 crisis reminded me a lot of the roller coaster of emotions missionaries go through arriving on the field. The graph below is adapted from the culture-shock curve that most missionaries learn before going to the field to help them understand the emotional roller coaster when encountering the reality of living in a new culture.