If you have not been here, you are not breathing.
We are having difficulty securing a place to stay in Berlin. Among other things, we may have to pay more, and security requirements have heightened greatly. Personally, I don't think that this is an indication of a "change in policy." I believe it is an indication of "the fight." Jesus spoke Berlin to my heart many years ago. Sarah and I lived there for a year. Berlin's central place in the "prophetic calendar" has not changed. People who become confused and quit in the battle are those who believe that God's will is a smooth sailing process. They need to reread Job without cliche glasses!
I recently finished the section of the Bible which tells of David's life. I also finished the Book of Jeremiah a few days ago. Both of these men spent the majority of their lives in extreme chaos and suffering. Whether suffering is of our own making or "providential, it is still suffering and not easy. The person who is following Jesus does not consider the "source" or the whys of life's battles. He/she presses on in Jesus, "If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also." I shall never forget the day Jesus spoke this to my heart; it was concerning the decision to live in Berlin for a year. May the Holy Spirit help me to stay faithful to His Words.
I am in the Book of Job. The endless speculations of not only Job, but also "the four" is a reminder to you and me that life has few answered questions. We pray, we ponder, we discuss, we do everything we know to attempt to make some "sense" out of it all, but, alas, silence. After we pray and pray, worship and worship, read and read, talk and talk--------- silence. Yet for me there is something comforting, uplifting, blessing in His silence. One of the greatest things which Jesus' silence says to me is that He is not worried, anxious, frustrated with the not-knowing, the unclearness. If there are times when Jesus, "....merely look[s] at [you,]" do not fret. His, "look," is sufficient.
You and I need a fresh "step-out-of-the-boat" faith today. If we want some sort of "guarantee" of His Words, we will never get it, that is, the kind of guarantees of which the world speaks. Jesus did not say to Peter, "Now here is how it's going to work. You see, you just need to," etc. No. Jesus' response to Peter's uncertainty was one word, "Come." The song says it well, and I share it with you.
"Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come! Jesus, I come!
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee!"
Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
