We make our plans, God directs our steps

When God called us to serve Him cross-culturally, He took us to what seemed like an ‘off the track’ place from where we thought we were heading.

The church we were involved in over 30 years ago had a strong focus on Sri Lanka, and as a church we sent many short term teams to that nation to serve and support our field workers living there. On their return they would share stories, testimonies and experiences that touched their hearts and changed them for the ordinary. As a family this place grabbed our hearts, so we began immersing ourselves in the Sri Lankan culture, food and traditions. We even made plans to take a trip there to spy out the land for what could possibly be the next step for our family.

During the planning stage of our trip, my husband Paul had a fall and severely broke his ankle which meant we had to postpone that trip. It took a while for Paul to recover, so after he was back on his feet we decided to take a much needed holiday. The destination was Tasmania – the island state of Australia.

For eight days we enjoyed this beautiful part of our country, and although we loved our little holiday, we thought we would not get the opportunity to visit there again. However, no sooner had we landed back in our hometown of Newcastle, God began to speak to us about Tasmania, which really took us by surprise. It was completely out of left field. Why Tasmania? We are called to the nations, and Sri Lanka was on our radar.

Over the next several months, Tasmania began to invade our space. Everywhere we looked it seemed there were visitors coming to Newcastle from Tasmania – Tasmanian number plates everywhere whereas before, we had not seen many at all. We turned the television on one day to watch the morning news and a program was being presented about – you guessed it, Tasmania. ‘This is the place to explore,’ they said. More and more Tasmanian signs came to us and finally a prophetic word which spoke of us standing with another couple to establish a work.

Although we didn’t understand what this shift in direction could possibly mean, Paul decided to take an exploratory trip to Tasmania where he arranged to meet with local pastors of the denomination we were connected to. Paul first met with a pastor of a well established church who he instantly liked, but then he met with a couple who had just planted a church. This particular couple spoke to Paul about how they had been asking God to send a couple to work with them as they established their church.

The long story short: We moved to Tasmania and bought a business which was suppose to be a solid investment to support us while serving in that church. The business was anything but solid and we found ourselves having to rely on God for everything we needed, including food and weekly rent. Besides going through a financial revolution, we also began to experience pangs of homesickness as we navigated the different culture we were now living in and the separation from all things familiar – family, friends and the well known town we grew up in. As well as the separation from those we loved, there was the physical separation by water, which meant we couldn’t just drive to visit ‘home’.

That first year in Tasmania found us constantly crying out to God – why. ‘Why God, when we obeyed you in coming to this place have you let all this happen.’ After one year of questioning and complaining, and seeing nothing change, we made a conscious choice to lay everything at God’s alter. We chose to change our ‘why’ to a heart of surrender. We got down on our knees and committed ourselves afresh to His service and we told Him, ‘God, whatever You are doing in us, do it’. Finally God had our attention. Now He was able to do a work in us which He had planned long ago in this season.

Over the following five years, we dug deep wells with God as we navigated every twist and turn. During those times we discovered how wonderful our miracle working, faithful Heavenly Father was in every situation. If we had chosen the easy path and cut and run back to what was known and comfortable we would never have grown in our relationship with God so deeply and trusted Him so completely. We would not have lasted twenty five plus years on foreign soil had we gone straight from the comfort of the familiar to living in a different country. God needed to build in us a resilient faith and hope. A fully equipped armour to fulfil the call on our lives.

God ultimately did send us to Asia but not to Sri Lanka. The nation God called us to had a very specific mandate which God has chosen us to fulfil. We not only accomplished what He sent us to do, but He used us to do even more than we could have imagined.

How did we do it? By drawing from those deep wells we had dug with God over six years in Tasmania. Everything we needed in order to see the fulfilment of His call, was in those wells.

Can I encourage you, if God has spoken to you about a call – whether that be ministry, business or otherwise, make your plans, but allow God to direct your steps. There will be twists and turns but you will pick up valuable tools which will sustain you for the long-term. You will dig deep wells with God that you will draw from at just the right time. Don’t quit half way. You will be grateful you stayed the path through the digging seasons. He can be trusted throughout your journey and you will be glad you persevered, because you will be rewarded for seeing it through.

A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them. Proverbs 16:9 (AMP)

If you want to read our whole story, get my book ‘Just Say Yes’. https://www.amazon.com/Just-Say-Yes-Trust-Journey/dp/0994636202

Deb