An Altar of Praise

A week ago Jo and I walked into a church feeling pretty beat down and hopeless. 

We were desperate.

Desperate for a word from God.

Desperate to make a friend.

Desperate to keep our heads above water to keep from sinking.

We needed to find a place to live. We needed to find a job. We needed a community to surround and support us. We needed to see God walking before us.

So we went to a church (that she and I had each stumbled across separately and wanted to visit) and got there 30 minutes early.

30 minutes of silence.

No welcomes.

No connections.

Just watching as everyone else came in and began sharing with each other.

Then…just as service was about to start, a lady came and sat next to us. She was kind and introduced her self and we got to talk for a moment. And then the service began.

And God reminded me that when all else is lost I can, and WILL, praise His name.

He reminded me of every promise He gave me in Xiamen, and I reclaimed them again.

My Daddy reminded me that he’s “never failed, and [He] won’t start now.”
And at the end of it all, I was reminded that Yahweh is worthy of ALL the glory and ALL the honor and ALL the praise in EVERYTHING.

God is good… all the time. And all the time God is good.

So then after the service is over, the lady next to us starts asking us questions about why we’re here and what we need. Before we knew it she was introducing us to people who could possibly help us out and had given us her contact information so that we could get together again later in the week.
We walked out of church feeling full and blessed and walking on water again, knowing that our God was still walking with us.

On Monday I received an email reply from a local student ministry leader that I’d contacted the previous week. He (and his wife) very warmly and graciously welcomed us to Germany and invited us to dinner at their home Friday night. (Did I mention that they were in the middle of packing up their home and moving to a new location?) We also heard of a bike (plus necessary accessories) that was available in our price range. (A bike is a necessary and practical form of transportation here in Freiburg.)

On Tuesday, we received word from our friend we’d met on Sunday that if we weren’t able to find a place to live before our time at our current location was up, that she and her housemates would be happy to welcome us for a few weeks as we continued figuring things out.

On Wednesday we were able to purchase the bike, with no issues and mostly brand new or mostly new accessories. We were also able to attend the church’s midweek service (which is in German) and made another friend.

Thursday, Jo and I decided to make use of our new bike (and a borrowed one from our current host) and visit a nearby lake for a swim and some sun-time. We then got to meet up with our Sunday church friend for some exploring the town and just getting to know more about each other. It was a great time of blessing and encouragement.

On Friday, we went to dinner at this couple’s house and discovered that this meeting was by no means coincidental. It just so happens that the house that they’re moving to, has a shared apartment attached to it (cuz shared living is the thing to do here in Germany) that happened to be in need of some tenants. Three bedrooms to be exact. And the rent is better than we could imagine. After several hours of conversation about all sorts of things – life, passions, intentions, God-stories – there was just an overwhelming sense of God’s divine purpose in this meeting. We even left with clothes and house things that we’d been praying about.

Saturday we went back to the lake (which after two record hot 100 degree days, was significantly warmer than it was on Thursday), and then went to look at the potential apartment. Once again, we see God answering specific prayers. Tomorrow (Sunday), we’ll give them our [yes] answer.

People said we probably couldn’t find housing in a week – but God can.

People said that a place with two rooms for both Jo and I would be hard to find – but God found it.

People said that community is what you make of what you have – God has provided a community to surround us in support and encouragement.

You can’t buy new jackets and shoes with money you don’t have – but God can provide them.

You can’t buy a bike without funds – but God can provide the [exact] means to do so.

To all of you who have questioned and wondered at the logic of moving somewhere without a plan and “blaming” God, I say, My God will not fail.

To all who think that we’re crazy, I say, I’m crazy about my Jesus, and that’s who I follow.

And to all of you who have supported this transition through prayer, encouragement and financial giving, I say, God bless you for your faithfulness to the work that He is doing and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I realize that some of you might fit more than one of those categories up there =], and that’s ok. I am well aware that this move was not practical, but I am convinced it was right. I’m fully aware that it’s crazy, but I know that I serve a BIG, crazy God. And I know that asking for financial support after the fact looks like poor planning, but my only defense is God. I would/will not wait to obey on the basis of financial means and support. My God will supply all of [my] needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). (He may just use you. :})

I serve an AWESOME God!!!