Being Equipped by God

Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
—Hebrews 13:20-21

If there is a verse that I have preached to myself, if there is a promise that I have held onto, it is this one. God equips us for what God calls us do in our lives. In my family, God equips us to homeschool and to care for orphans and to pray for troubled marriages.

My husband David and I are Eliim Fellowship missionaries serving in Kigoma, Tanzania. For the past seven and a half years, we’ve mostly ministered in five different villages. We serve 700 children including as orphans living with their impoverished grandmothers and other young kids stuck in poverty. We share God’s love with them Vacation Bible School style followed by sharing a nourishing meal together. We teach the teens how to lead so this is not our program, but God’s.

David and I offer an English tutoring program so these same teenagers have a chance of thriving in secondary school.  Where we live elementary school is taught in Swahili, but high school is in English. Until recently, unless students have money for private english tutoring, they could forget about high school. We now teach 100 village children English so that they might attend high school, break their familial cycle of poverty and become tomorrow’s leaders of this nation.

One night last week David went to a remote village and showed the film. When it was over people talked, prayed and wondered aloud if they wanted to pursue this relationship with God.  Some present received Christ and it was a wonderful event.

But, something wonderful also happened before David even left the house for the village. As he was packing, I told him to take baby wipes with him.

“Why?” he asked. The truth is I had no idea why. I just felt he should bring the wipes. Out of confused trust, he did.

On the way to the village David got a flat tire. There was no convenience store on this road, there was no way for him to wash his grimy hands. Would he be sharing the gospel with hands caked in dirt and grease?

Then he saw the baby wipes. God had prepared the wipes so David could fufill his calling. God prepared the answer before the problem came. God does this all the time. I’ve found that God knows what situations will come up ahead of time. God provides us with what we need for our calling when we need it. If we listen to God’s still small voice, God will direct us to grab the baby wipes or to call a friend or to take a nap. God equips us for the journey to which God guides us.

Because God’s word is true, this same equipping is available for all people. We can be sure that God will provide us with what we need for the callings on our life. We do not need to feel overwhelmed or abandoned in a task at hand. Our God equips those whom God has called.

Be encouraged, friends!

As we remember this truth we will see God’s hand even in our most challenging callings.

[Image Credit: Public Domain via Pixabay]