Lord, Increase my Faith.

Boy did we have church today!!!! “Our” very own Ron McLean from Winnipeg was preaching, and I’m telling you, African preachers have nothing on them that Ron hasn’t got!!!
For those of you who aren’t Calvary Chapel family, Ron is the pastor of Gateway on Panet in Winnipeg; it’s our ‘sister’ church. We used to attend Gateway almost every Saturday evening, where we where richly blessed.
Ron spoke on the Holy Spirit baptism, … and the Holy Spirit took over!!!! Glorious! Powerful!! Wonderful!! Life changing!! WOW!!!
We knew Ron was coming, but last week when I was in the middle of teaching year 6, I was completely taken by surprise when all of a sudden, there was Ron!! I was so excited to get a Canadian hug.
Yeah, it’s hard when you see some one from the west and you say bye to them, knowing that they are stepping on an airplane and soon they will be in their familiar surroundings, their “cosy” life. Often when I hear the sound of an airplane flying overhead, my mind fast forwards to July 2011, when we’ll be stepping on an airplane to go home. It’s a bitter-sweet thought - and if Jesus says He’s not done with us here, we’re coming back. As hard as it is sometimes, it truly is where we want to be.
In fact, 2 weeks ago was a huge turning point for me. We were going to the boucherie and as we pulled into the parking lot, I saw a non-descript car and I looked at the licence plate, as I often do, and in that moment, weird as it sounds, I had a deep feeling of contentment, of “homeness,” of “yeah, life is good.”
It’s not that I wasn’t feeling that this was home before that, or that I wasn’t content and happy, but somehow it just went much deeper, or to a higher level. That week I had several of those ‘moments,’ and I’m very grateful that God is allowing/making our roots go down deeper.
Let me take you to Sunday, the day before this happened.
We had borrowed the movie/documentary on George Muller from Honda and Libby. George Muller was born in Germany in the  earlier part of the 1800’s. He was a thief, a cheat, a drunkard, and was imprisoned for a time. He left Germany and went to England to attend university, where he encountered Jesus.
God put it on his heart to start rescuing the orphans of Bristol off of the streets. In today’s money he raised a staggering one hundred million pounds - that’s two hundred million dollars!!!! to provide homes and welfare for 120,000 orphans in Bristol. He did this without making any pleas, without any fundraising techniques, but simply by prayer. There were times when the children were sitting at the table, ready to eat, but there was no food. They would pray and there would be a knock at the door, and there was a baker, loaded down with fresh bread. The baker would relate how the Lord had woken him up early and put it on his heart to bake bread for the orphanage. This nineteenth century pioneer took God at His Word, and the work of George Muller continues to this day. The faith of this man did a huge number on me.
So that evening, when Isaac asked me what he could pray for me (something we’ve done for years every night -  we ask each other what we can pray for the other - I encourage all couples to do this.), I was grappling with a monumental question; dare I ask him to pray that I will have a faith like George Muller!?
I told him what was churning in my spirit, and we started to talk about the ‘implications’ of such a prayer. What would we face where we would need such an incredible faith…. Did we want to be in such circumstances….
In the end I asked Isaac to pray about whether I should pray for a faith like this. I mean, this is huge; I pray for an increase in my faith very often, but the “George Muller  faith” - that’s a whole new level.
Next day, Jesus was still talking to me about this issue, and Isaac and I talked about it to Colton. We knew this wasn’t going to be a flippant prayer spoken almost half heartedly, but if this would be prayed, it would have to come from the very marrow of my soul, my spirit.
On Tuesday when I lay down for my siesta, I asked the Lord, “ what will you take us through if I pray for this kind of faith?” I was very deliberate in saying ‘through’, and not ‘into’. Almost immediately, very clearly, I heard: “war, famine and hardship.” Yikes, my first response was, if war and famine aren’t hardships, what is?? But right on the heels of that was the fact that I had prayed “through” and so I knew we would make it. We wouldn’t be defeated, not spiritually nor physically. In my spirit I think I already knew that I was going to pray the prayer, it was just a matter of time.
But you see, since Colton was just a little tyke, I’ve thought that one of the things that would be the absolute worst thing for me to experience would be to see Colton starving and not being able to do anything for him.
On Wednesday at school  I’m at my desk praying about this again, and I asked Jesus about the war, famine and hardship, and if there is anything else. And as clearly as the previous three, He said “joy.“ Excitement and a great anticipation for what God was going to do flooded over me. I strongly felt to get on my knees.
And I prayed the prayer.

Refining fire - hard and glorious!!

Where to begin…
“The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears.” Rick Warren
“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees. The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.  May those who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your Word. I know, O Lord, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me. May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant. Let Your compassion come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight.” Ps 119:71,72, 74 -77
 A few months ago 2 people, 2 different countries (thanks Jean and Jackie B.), emailed me and both wrote about faith/ hardships, and I will quote what they wrote:
“God has us in the fire and in His tender care every day… and it’s hard and glorious.
“ We can all say we want more faith, but it seems we never want to be in the situations where we need faith.”
I can testify to you that God definitely has His mighty hand upon us, and it is very painful at times, but also gloriously wonderful because He’s answering our prayer to mold and shape us more and more into the children of God that He created, planned, purposed us too be.
But I can also tell you, without a seconds’ hesitation, that I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world!!
We are getting to know the Father in a much more intimate way. And boy, the comfort of Jesus is so absolute and immediate when I fall on my knees and cry out to Him.
“But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. For surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.” Ps 5:11-12
The Bible verses I quoted have been very near and dear to my heart in the last number of weeks. I’ve prayed them many times, read them many times, and have been greatly encouraged and blessed by them.
Amahoro!! Peace