My Musings.....

When you have a lot to say but do not know where to begin….what should you do??

 

I feel like I have all of these thoughts and ideas in my head….that I wish to “hash out” and “think through”.  But, it just seems SO overwhelming to find a place to begin.

 

So, I am going to talk a bit out what I am learning about the spiritual world.

 

Two years ago, I would NOT be one to talk about spiritual warfare.  I might have told you all the ghost stories that I know from growing up in a “haunted house”, but I would not be concerned with the spiritual world on a daily basis.  I would think that someone who talked about demons was….well….weird!  I would probably NOT want to be their friend.

 

But, now I find myself in an animistic culture.  EVERYTHING is spiritual.  The people here believe there are spirits in the gardens, spirits in the water, spirits controlling sickness, spirits controlling prosperity.  Shoot….a lot of people here even think that if you have white skin….well, you must be a spirit who is in fact an ancestor from their past.

 

Back home, in my western worldview, there was a BIG chasm between the physical world and the spiritual world.  The two never touched…they never overlapped.  “God is in heaven, we are on earth.” That was the extent of it.  Science and reason played a big part of my everyday life.  Science and reason made that gap, that chasm even bigger.  Science and reason are NOT the foundation of the Biblical worldview. 

 

I am learning not to be naïve anymore.  I think that I have lived a majority of my life without a clue as to what was going on around me.  The gospel is going forth into a world of people who have NEVER heard it in their own language before.  We are a part of that.  If you support us through prayer or finances, YOU are a part of that, too.  I am beginning to think that the word coincidence is just the word that we westerners have used to “explain away” spiritual warfare.  “Oh that was just a coincidence”….”Yup, that, too, was just a coincidence.”  My question to you would be, “How many coincidences will it take before you think, is this really a coincidence?”  I think that everyone has to answer that question for themselves.  I have found that the closer I am to “being in God’s will” or “obeying Him” (whatever you want to call it), the heavier the spiritual attacks.

 

It is weird that I had to come all the way over here to realize just how much of a “war” is going on for the hearts of people all over the world.  The closer I feel like I am getting to the work of Bible translation or the idea of peace coming to this valley, I feel like I can visibly see the spiritual forces at work.  Those are the times I feel like God’s Word ministers to me in ways that only it can!  Without it, I would be forced to put what I am seeing and experiencing into a “reasonable” box…..a box where it doesn’t belong because it is so far removed from any ounce of reason.

 

I would like to share an example of how I am learning to see more of the spiritual war that is going on for the hearts of the people here in PNG:

 

As you know, Caleb is on a hike for the next 7 days.  He is going to an area where it is very obvious that spiritual forces are keeping the work of Bible translation from beginning. The family who has committed to translating the Bible for this people group….well, their life has been BEYOND difficult.  They were evacuated for medical reasons during one village stay and then evacuated for security reasons during their next village stay.  Right before they were to leave for this second village stay, their house here on center got broken into (right after a long discussion about spiritual warfare on center).   

 

There are three of us, moms, who have been “left behind” while our men go on this hike.  We all have this feeling that they are entering a spiritual war….one that we need to pray against.  But, we are also not naïve about being left behind.  We feel like we are JUST as vulnerable because we know that to get to them, all it would take is for something to happen to one of us.  The break-ins have stopped for a time, but who is to say they will not start up again?  So, we have felt the need to bathe this entire time that they are gone in prayer.

 

That being said (Ben just woke up….so I need to tend to him), I will share this e-mail that I sent to one of my prayer partners who responded with Psalm 18 as an encouragement to me.  It may not be well worded, but hopefully you can see the point I am trying to make with it:  Everything is spiritual….and how many coincidences will you reason away?

 

My e-mail:

 

Thank you so much for this encouragement.  It arrived in my inbox close to 9pm last night.  I decided to wait and use it as my morning devotion.  Well, the morning devotion got pushed back to the afternoon devotion.  But, by the time I was able to read through Psalm 18 coupled with your prayer, it brought tears to my eyes.  How true are the words you have spoken.

 

I thought I would share with you the “first” attack that I encountered.  As soon as Caleb left, that morning when I woke up, I was greeted by a couple discouraging e-mails.  The first one was from our realtor, suggesting that we make the decision to lower our house’s price since we have had NO showings and need to sell it.  Then, I got an e-mail from a supporter and good friend.  The e-mail seemed to be all about money, hopelessness, and discouragement.  It was very respectful, but NOT what I needed to hear the day that Caleb left.  Money is my weak point and seriously almost every other word was about it or the lack of it.

 

All that to say that it was within  30 minutes from Caleb’s departure when I noticed Satan trying to attack me where I am most vulnerable- worry because of money.  I do not feel like it was a coincidence that these e-mails came simultaneously right after Caleb stepped out of this house.  This may sound weird, but it is comforting that this was SO obvious to me.  Satan is trying to scare me in ways that have worked in the past.  But, the fact that I have been in right relationship with God, ever prayerful and ever close to Him and His truth, I could spot this a mile away!  Praise God!

 

This also helped me realize that when it comes to our money woes and these trials about having to sell the house asap, I learned I have been leaning on Caleb’s faith to get by.  I am choosing today to have my own faith about this.  I am going to choose to believe that God called us here….all the spiritual attacks serve only to prove that to us.  I am going to chose to believe that if he intends to keep us here, then something will work out with the house….even against impossible odds.

 

As an encouragement, I received an e-mail today from Kristen (the family who will live above us when they return from furlough) saying that the hospital forgave 100% of their medical bills from son’s birth.  I am amazed that the God of the universe would not only allow Satan to “attack” me through e-mail, but He would speak through e-mail as well. I am choosing to believe in the hope of my salvation.  I am choosing to believe that no matter what happens in the future, that will not steal my joy today.  There is no hope in worrying about tomorrow, especially NOW during a time when Caleb is so close to furthering the work of Bible translation with his own hands and feet.

 

Thank you again for being there.  Thank you for listening. 

 

Adrienne