May 10, 2012
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Our Unknowingly Prophetic Acts…
A few years ago my prayer team leader who was serving with Campus Crusade here in Seoul got a cheap car for himself to get around in. I was in my second year of being a missionary here in Korea and I felt extremely tight with my money (too tight… there is a “practical” tight, and there is a “lack of faith” tight). But I lived on the outskirts of Seoul and my commutes by subway were typically 75-90 minutes, so after praying for a time I ended up getting a cheap car myself. Both of our cars were old and not in the best of shape, but they got us around. I even got the same model as his.
Later he became the pastor of my church and prayed for a new car because his was becoming too dangerous (same for mine). Through circumstances at the church he was able to get the exact car he had been praying for, a nice one! For me it took getting hit by a truck that totaled my car (not my fault and no long term injuries, thankfully) that made me get a new one. And this time around I wasn’t cheap, but spent more of my support money to get a decent car with good gas mileage. It definitely isn’t as nice as my pastor’s car, but it’s a whole lot better than my old piece of metal.
When my pastor got married he lived a decent three bedroom apartment that also doubled as the church office. It wasn’t big, but it was relatively modern and was spacious compared to the tiny boxes a lot of people live in (as singles). I originally imagined myself getting married and continuing to live in my old, small apartment. But then my pastor, through prayer and the favor of God, was able to get a much bigger, nicer apartment. Seeing that, I received faith to believe God for a bit better. When I got married Sky and I, through prayer and favor, were able to get a nice, modern, 3 bedroom apartment similar to my pastor’s first place when he got married, although perhaps a tad nicer. Sky would have been miserable in my old place. It was literally old, dark, and small. Not the place for newlyweds. But if I hadn’t seen my pastor’s faith in action and God’s grace over him and his wife, I probably wouldn’t have had the faith to get a nicer place.
God is revealing to me more and more how prophetic our acts are, particularly for those who are serving under us (or the children we are caring for). When one of my ministry’s full time volunteers joined in 2008 we went over her budget together. I explained where her money should go to and different things she could expect. I remember she asked me, “Where do you budget for clothes?” and I told her, “In my three years I haven’t bought any clothes” and just shrugged that question off. Clothes were never an interest of mine and I actually didn’t buy any new clothes until my SIXTH year in Korea (when I began dating Sky, of course). And then I found out that same full time volunteer had not bought clothes for three years, and she is a woman! I felt so bad when I realized how by my actions I had put a wall up around her from feeling free to spend in that area. She felt it was just a price of being a missionary… wear your clothes until they are rags and someone gets you something. That had been my mindset before, and how poor of a mindset that was!
Our actions really are prophetic. If we are cheap, then those under us will be cheap. If we act in faith, then those under us will be released to act in faith. If we take care of ourselves, then those under us will also take care of themselves.
So I’m learning to take better care of myself and of Sky. I want the volunteers who serve with me to be well taken care of too. And I desire the same for the children in the orphanages.
God bless!
