Lessons from Brazil - Part 4

Monday

There is a verse in Proverbs that is very straightforward yet still makes by brow furrow every time I read it. It speaks to the sovereign work of God in our lives in planning our discipleship. God is the one who makes the plans for our growth and development. We experienced this first hand on Monday in Brazil.

Our original plan for the lat two days of our trip was to spend time with the churches in Bequimao and Alcantara. But while we were in Brazil, Richie recieved two pieces of information that caused us to rethink our trips to those towns.

First, he heard some things about the work in these two cities that gave him pause. They were not bad things, but the challenges were unique and significant enough that they put up a couple of orange flags (not red flags) in his mind.

Second, he heard that the work in two other cities was beginning to really take off and they needed help. These two cities were Turiacu and Penalva. It also just so happens that these were two places the Richie had been praying about for some time.

Remember, the whole purpose of our trip is to identify the local church in Brazil that we were going to partner with for the next 3-5 years. There was a lot at stake. Would we go to the places Richie had been working on for a long time even though they had some concerns with them? Or would we strike out in a brand new direction with no previous planning?

Hmm… We had a decision that had to be made quickly. And it was basically a decision that would affect our commitment for the next 3-5 years.

We decided to meet with two pastors who functioned as the supervising pastors of these two churches, Riba and Francisco. We drove to a neutral meeting site and spent about an hour or so discussing the situation.

This is Monday morning and we are supposed to be visiting with some pastor somewhere that afternoon, so we didn’t have a lot of time to deliberate.

By the grace of God there was a quick consensus reached, when to a man, we thought Turiacu and Penalva to be our best option. Bequimao and Alcantara were going to be just fine though. God has other plans for them.

So, we are now on the road to Turiacu. And we are all excited. There was a general sense of anticipation as we just knew that God was directing us and setting the agenda.

It was on this van ride that Proverbs 16:9 occupied my thoughts. “The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

Here is what I learned: We thought we had it all figured out. We knew where the work of the gospel was needed and our hearts were ready to go there. But God had already established our steps. He knew where He wanted us. And while our hearts were willing and ready to go to Bequimao and Alcantara, He directed us in his time to go to Turiacu and Penalva.

God directs our steps. It was always his plan for us to go there. We did not see it before. Just because we did not see it beforehand does not mean that we were wrong or disobedient. It just means that God directs our steps and that in his time He will accomplish all his purposes.

It is common to say that the number one rule on mission trips is “Be flexible.” While I understand and appreciate that sentiment. I think that it misses a great opportunity to give glory to God. Instead of “flexibility” being our guiding principle, let’s say, “God directs our steps.”

Being flexible implies that we need to handle unforeseen changes to our plans with a soft and malleable demeanor as if these things are out of our hands, so there is no use getting upset about it. But acknowledging that God sovereignly directs every detail of our trips, even the ones that inconvenience us, will lead not to a shoulder-shrugging “Oh well that didn’t go according to plan” attitude but rather to a rugged, sturdy confidence in his Spirit’s leading that truly magnifies his grace as He leads us.

Don’t let “flexibility” by your guiding principle. That does not necessarily honor God. Let submissiveness to the sovereign direction of the Holy Spirit guide you. And be firm and un-flexible in following his path with a passion for fulfilling the work of God.