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December 12
Making A Way (Part 1)
This is what the Lord says- he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters. Isaiah 43:16
In 1991 I received a letter from a young women in China. She said, "I have become a Christian, and I believe God is calling me to be an evangelist. Could I come to Asbury College and get training?" She was admitted, so she went to the American embassy, but they refused her visa because she already had a bachelor's degree. We then got her accepted at Asbury Theology Seminary for graduate work, but the American embassy put all sorts of obstacles in her path. For two years they blocked her from coming to the United States for training. I became discouraged. Then on June 10, 1993, I received a communication from her that said if she could be readmitted and guaranteed financial help, she could get a visa, so we went through the whole process again. In July I received another letter: "I will be arriving in Houston, Texas, in September. Could someone pick me up?"
When the young women arrived, she told us the rest of her story. The embassy official who had given her more than two years of hassle finally looked at her and said, "Okay, one final question." Joy knew that her future would be determined by her answer to that question. He said, "Would you please explain to me the theological significance of the Song of Songs in the Old Testament?" Joy looked at him in horror, wondering how in her broken English she would ever be able to explain it to him. Then the answer came to her as if Jesus had whispered it in her ear: "Oh, that you would kiss me with the kisses of your mouth. For your love is better than wine.' Sir, that is the second verse of the first chapter of the Song of Songs, and it speaks of my love for the Lord Jesus and his love for me."
The American embassy official stared at Joy, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Let her go. She is for real." So Joy came to America for school.
Sometimes we strain in frusttation and anger at the delays that seem to lie in our way, delays that seem to be keeping us from going where we could be of most service to God. But the reality is that he uses every delay, and when his timing is right, he will open the doors, and we will walk through them with confidence. That confidence comes from knowing that we allowed God to make a way instead of pushing ourselves ahead of his time schedule. Are you waiting on him today? Are you bearing the delays he allows with grace and patience?
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God speaks in His time. I was born in 1991 (the same year this Chinese lady came to know Christ and began her journey in obedience to our Master), and this touches my heart as my purpose on Earth started in that same year and will continue until His completion, in His timing.
