I began my missionary work more than two months ago and in that time, my ministry has been totally dedicated to fundraising, also known as support raising. Being a missionary, my entire salary comes from the support of others.
But its not all about donations and money and numbers. At the end of the day, support raising is all about trusting that the Lord will provide for me, being diligent in the work that He has called me to do, and then letting Him provide for me in His perfect time. Sounds simple right?
Who do I trust more?
Something that I have found in these last two months of support raising is that it is much easier to trust myself and my own efforts. If I make enough phone calls and book enough meetings and prepare well enough, then people will say yes.
On the other hand, its also easy to kick my feet up and confidently proclaim "the Lord will provide" without ever making an effort to dial that number or meet with people.
The balance, I have found, lies in trusting that God will work through my work. If I was an Indian aunty, I might even say, "God helps those who help themselves." In support raising, God and I are working together, so I don't need to trust in my own efforts. I am faithful to the work, but I know that the real results come from the Lord's hand.
What does Scripture say?
There are countless stories of God providing for His people in the Scriptures, but the verses that have really struck me during this season of support raising are from Psalm 33. The psalmist admits,
"A king is not saved by a mighty army,
nor a warrior delivered by great strength.
Useless is the horse for safety;
its great strength, no sure escape.
But the Lord's eyes are upon the reverent,
upon those who hope for his gracious help,
Delivering them from death,
keeping them alive in times of famine." (Psalm 33:16-19)
In my own prayer time, I heard the Lord reminding me:
A missionary is not saved by a theology degree,
Nor a support raiser by a long list of contacts.
Useless is a colour-coordinated schedule,
its benefit is no sure escape.
But the Lord's eyes are on the faithful,
upon those who ask for His grace.
For those, He delivers them from debt,
He keeps them close to His heart.
My work is important - and really hard sometimes - but my missionary heart is being asked to trust only in the Lord. Who do you trust?
Comments