God works in all things

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It was a hectic day, one of those days when nothing seems to go the way you planned. With my Mother-in-law in Hospice, I had decided not to attend the Arabic language service at Dawson Memorial tonight. My wife, God bless her, encouraged me to go anyway. She understood, perhaps more than I did today, the importance of obedience and consistency.

So, I took the boys to their Boy Scout meeting. We planned a makeup camping trip for the one that was rained out this weekend. I didn't even think about getting dressed to attend the Bible study, I went down in jeans and a polo shirt. Arabs in general, and Lebanese in particular, still dress up for Church. It wasn't until I walked into the room that I realized I was woefully under-dressed.

A gentleman from Lebanon gave his testimony, and I didn't catch the entire thing. He talked about growing up in Lebanon, not being close to God. He grew closer to God after completing Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God. He lived in Canada and the US, wasn't sure about returning to Lebanon because of the war. God called him to return to Lebanon because he was going to use Lebanon to reach the Arab world. This guy is singing my song! I thought, and resolved to talk to him after the meeting.

After confusing a Bible with the Hymnal, I was able to sing along with everything tonight. I also followed the sermon pretty well, getting over half of it this time. There weren't any points where I was totally lost. That's pretty good since I sometimes get totally lost in English sermons. Conversation is still a struggle, oddly enough I find it more difficult than sermons.

After the meeting I struck up a conversation with the gentleman from Lebanon. As it turns out, he was Eli Haddad, the President of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. This is someone I would travel hours to meet, and I walked into the room with him purely by God's guiding grace.

We had a great opportunity to discuss my desire and vision for a mission in Lebanon. Mr. Haddad agrees that the young men of Lebanon are the key to unlocking the Arab world. At one point I said "I cannot go to Saudi Arabia and Yemen..." He finished my sentence with a smiling nod, "...but they can!"

It would have been so easy to miss this great opportunity for a contact in Lebanon. If not for my wife's encouragement I would have missed it. Even in the midst of a hectic and unpredictable day, God is still working all things together for good -because I followed the call according to his purpose.