Dear one,
When last I wrote, I shared with you my struggle: given the political unrest within the peaceful but impoverished nation of Malawi, should we proceed with the scheduled pastoral conferences? At that writing, I recognized my need to rely upon the insights and perspectives of other believers, and that need has in no way diminished.
However, at this writing two moments within the Apostle Paul’s experience present themselves to me: Addressing Roman believers he’d never met, he conceded:
“[Without] ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you … I do not want you to be unaware, [brothers and sisters], that I have often intended to come to you, but thus far have been prevented”(Romans 1:9-13).
Likewise, Luke recorded Paul’s endeavors:
“And [Paul and company] went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas” (Acts 16:6-8).
You might recall that this latter citation immediately precedes Paul’s “Macedonian visison,” whereby he was invited to bear the Gospel upon European soil—but prior to that vision, like a rickochetting pinball, he bouncd from Phrygia to Galatia, from Asia to Mysia, not certain his next step. In contrast, as he wrote to the church in Roman, his desire was certain: he wanted to visit them, in order that he and they “might be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith”; and yet his way to them remained blocked.
Frequently in our living “the Christian life,” we often do not see what lies just before us—comparable to Robert Frost’s: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—” and I too did not see. When last I wrote, I believed I would fly to Malawi, as scheduled, on July 24. Well, I was wrong. Throughout several restless days and nights, I heard, “Not now,” which was confirmed by others, and so we decided to postpone my traveling to Malawi. When we will reschedule the two conferences, I do not yet know.
I am saddened and disappointed by this turning, as is true for my Malawi counterparts, but as one of them characteristically noted: “God doesn’t make mistakes.”
Trusting,
Stan
Ps. Unexpectedly, Ethiopian Airlines has refunded my ticket to Malawi in full …