Growing up a kid in south Florida I was very familiar with hurricanes. My extended family lived in Homestead, FL during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, a hurricane that completely crippled our potato farm and packing house. I remember in elementary school naively hoping for Hurricanes to come close enough we could get out of school for a couple days.
In the ‘eye’ of the Hurricane is an eerie calm and silence. A few miles away could be winds with enough force to tear apart houses, but in this ‘eye’ is not a breath of wind or sometimes a sound to be heard.
My 2017 has started off like a hurricane. Not in destructive nature, but just in sheer power, movement and direction. My spiritual, emotional and mental states have been great, sometimes feeling like I’m just along for the ride as God has constantly given direction, pushed me beyond my perceived limits and made his intentions clear.
5 weeks in East Africa running a training camp? His guidance and direction orchestrated it daily.
Taking advantage of cheap airfare and fulfilling a dream of hiking in Patagonia? It was impossible for me to not constantly be in awe of his creation. The trip was actually filled with a lot of ups and downs, and yet through it all I felt Him guiding so many aspects of it.
Now I am gearing up for a long trip to SE Asia, filled with some amazing opportunities to live out the gospel. Nearly 9 weeks in Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
Yet, the last few weeks I have been met with a lot of SILENCE as I pray. Remember that ‘eye’ of the storm? I feel like I’m standing right smack in the center.
Praying for direction with my job/future plans? Silence. Praying for some personal life decisions? Silence. Praying for clarity on what my time on the field should look like, teachings/debriefs, etc? A lot of silence.
Although it hasn’t been a long time period, it’s tough to go from feeling so much direction, guidance and movement to a period of waiting. Listening with expectation but not hearing much.
So what can I do? I choose to meet him there. In the silence. I don’t always know why there are times I don’t hear direction from God, but it doesn’t change who He is and who I am.
Even in the ‘eye’ of the storm we have the freedom of choice. It’s a beautiful thing.
So I continue to live my days for Him, and trusting that I’ll hear the big picture direction in His timing. In the mean time, I continue to make the small choices daily.
Tonight I catch my flight to Malaysia, excited for whatever God has planned for the next two months. A couple prayer requests:
– I sprained my ankle last week and it’s still swollen and bruised. Please pray for quick healing and that I don’t push it hard with all the walking at debrief.
– Some of my World Racers have had some visa complications and the logistics of it all are a nightmare. Please pray God provides some miracles!
– This debrief in Malaysia we’ll be connecting with another World Race squad. It’s a lot of moving parts but I know God has some amazing things in store!
I’ll try to update from the field in the next two months, thank you for all the continued support and prayer! Much love!
Will keep you in my prayers for this trip and healing. It sounds like you have the right idea of meeting God even in the silence and continuing to make the decisions you need on a daily basis. Just keep trusting that even when there is silence, God is working and guiding. Silence will never be a sign that he is not there. I can’t wait to hear how it all turns out!