I guess I was not specific enough

Sharing prayer requests with a friend, or maybe more just grumbling about our imperfect children, my friend said, “I sure wish that God would change my children’s hearts.” So I was praying, “God, do whatever it takes in these children’s lives that they may fully follow you.” My friend panicked, “Oh, no. I will never give God carte blanche like that again. I prayed that for someone once, and now he’s an invalid. No, I need to be more specific with God.” Now I don’t know all the details about that situation, but her comment got me thinking. Sometimes I don’t really trust an omniscient, omnipotent God, nor do I trust his benevolence. He is good. He is trustworthy. Why can’t I trust him more?
Just this week I was wrestling with one problem, and needed some resolution quickly. So I begged Jesus to intervene. And, he did. But along with the resolution came a secondary result that I did not like. I actually said out loud, “Well, Jesus, I guess I was not specific enough.” And, wham, it hit me. Who am I to think that I needed to tell Jesus step-by-step how to act. I may need to be specific with my 6-year-old granddaughter, because she doesn’t yet know something. I may need to be specific with my sons, because they don’t understand just what I am thinking. But I certainly don’t need to be specific with God. After all, He created me! He knows what is best for me, and he desires what is best for me. He isn’t a foolish giant that needs direction.
No. He knows the plans he has for me. Plans for good and not evil. Plans to prosper and not harm. And he is the one who will give more than I could ever think or ask.
Yes, God resolved my problem his way. And his way kept me in prayer longer than my desired path would have. His way challenged me in the areas of discipline and submission. And I am certain that is best for me. He is one smart cookie, isn’t he?
One of my friends from Uzbekistan came to me for prayer and encouragement. The persecution there had his pastor and another leader facing trial and most likely imprisonment, and most everyone in the church was afraid to mention their faith. He was frustrated that their prayers for protection and safety were not being answered. These men had been beaten. Others had been mistreated, some losing their jobs. “We asked God to show himself strong and to protect us from the police. Now people have been arrested, our church scattered, our people fearful.”
That was “then.” Now in hindsight he has a different perspective. The leader was sent to prison, and now he has a powerful prison ministry he could not have had before. The pastor did go to trial, but during the court case the pastor made his defense making a bold defense of his faith so that everyone in court clearly heard the gospel. And a surprise to everyone, he was declared not guilty and released. Yes, God knows the plans he has for us. My friends in Uzbekistan are awed by God’s resolution. They have quit praying for protection from persecution, but are praying that God would show himself strong no matter what may come. It is a bold prayer to be sure.

Zharkinai, Anara and Akbota

I met with Zharkinai yesterday. She has so many struggles in her life and she has been so downcast, so much so that the lights seem to dim when she shows up. Her pastor rightly assumed that she was considering leaving the church, and was tempted to ask her to leave already as her negative presence was hard for everyone. Finally Zharkinai shared her heart. I listened, and as she allowed, offered counsel. She told me, “I just don’t feel God’s love or presence. I don’t belong in the church anymore.” “Now that is not the right approach, you know God loves you and will never let you go. You know that gravity exists and you usually don’t feel that, but that does not mean gravity went away. How much more so God. And when you are feeling the farthest from God is when you need to be with his people the most.” “Why hasn’t God allowed me to have a husband? Now that I am caring for my sister’s son I feel trapped in my work. How can I raise him without him having a father? What can I do?” “First remember that God is father to the fatherless. No man you can find will be a better father for Azamat than God himself. Rest in that. But that also is another reason you need to remain in your church, where the men of the church can help you deal with the masculine issues in his life.” And then she got down to the real issues. “Why did my sister Omsanai have to die? Why didn’t God save her out of that situation?” “Well, think about it. God did save her out of that situation. She no longer suffers or fears. She trusted Jesus Christ as her savior, so when she died Jesus took her to be with him immediately. She is safely in God’s arms right now. And she is watching you from there. What do you want her to see?” Zharkinai allowed herself to release her sister into God’s care, she poured her heart out to God and left her worries in His hands (at least for the time being). Zharkinai chose to trust God with her life situation. She found new peace and, yes, even joy.
I just spoke with Anara and Akbota who had questions about meeting “Mr. Right” and how to pursue that relationship. Culturally many here will meet someone and marry within weeks, without knowing the person, let alone knowing how they really get along. Often committing to marriage only after they have proven they can produce offspring together. So they were already fighting the culture wanting to marry a believer, thinking that pre-marital counseling would be appropriate, and committing to stay pure until marriage. Anara is concerned that her father will keep his promise to arrange her marriage without her involvement, as she knows her father wants her to marry a Muslim. She has been submissively appealing to her dad regarding the need to marry someone who is also a believer in Jesus. Her father seems to be listening, but she is still worried.

Please pray for Anara, Akbota, Zharkinai and others like them as they wrestle with serious issues that demand a trust in God. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters throughout Central Asia who continually face persecution – they are praying to see God show himself mighty, and that their faith would be true and strong. Pray for boldness and calmness, and deep roots of faith that cannot be shaken. Pray that the people of Central Asia will become more open to the gospel, that the believers of Central Asia will be ever active in sharing their faith, and that the church of Central Asia will take root and grow.
And pray for me, as I trust God with the details of my life. Pray for my relationships and that God would multiply my efforts here. And please continue to pray that I could speak the Kazakh language.