Currently I am in a 14 passenger van somewhere on the dusty roads in the middle of Uganda going somewhere, although I couldn’t tell you where I just know it’s somewhere in Africa.
We’ve been traveling for just about 5 hours on bumpy (might be an understatement) roads which has given me lots of time to reflect on the wonderful, Spirit-filled, SLAM service camp week we hosted in Uganda for about 100 youth. There are so many stories I could share about the way God is changing me, the funny things students have told me, the impact service projects have had on my heart, or the amount of hope that fills my heart when I think about these youth.
As I am reflecting on the past week, my mind keeps returning back to a poem I memorized during a busy season of life in high school. While I cannot remember all of it, of the most impactful lines states “when my strength has failed ere the day is half done, fear not for thy Father’s full giving hath only begun.” The poem ends by stating, “He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”
I can confidently state that this week should have one of the most draining and exhausting weeks of my life, yet it was one of the most encouraging, life giving weeks I have experienced to date. Most nights I did not get much sleep and most days were spent on my feet, serving in some capacity. One of my favorite parts about internship is that I am woken up every morning to a new song of praise which fills my mind with sweet thoughts of the Lord in the early moments of the morning. After waking up to praise, our team joins together and prays over the day, thanking God for the gift we call today. Each morning, our leaders give us the gift of inviting the Lord into our day, falling on our knees and pleading for the power to accomplish His will that day. Each morning this week I came before the Lord with joy in my heart, confident that He would fill me with all that I needed and more.
This summer, I have had to truly rely on the Lord in ways I never have before and I have watched Him produce resurrection power as a result of my faith filled prayers. There have been multiple sermons that I have heard only because I prayed the entire duration of the sermon that God would help me fight jet lag and keep me engaged. During evening sessions when my body is tired, I have had to cry out to Lord again and again to give me the energy to praise the African way. I have missed aspects of my normal schedule and routine, yet the Father’s full giving has only begun.
In every moment He has met my lack and sustained me through the day with abundant life. I am learning what it really means to crucify my flesh with its passions and desires; when I am hungry, tired, emotional, etc. I just have to call upon the Lord who has given me the strength to live by the Spirit and gratify its desires only.
While I still have a lot to learn, I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to continue to give of myself so that my Spirit may be exercised and my faith can grow stronger as I die to myself, pick up my cross, and follow Christ. I have found it to be most true in my life that my Father will always give, give, and give again. When my resources and strength fail me, He meets me and renews my strength. Be encouraged that God will never call you to a work and not sustain you when you tap into the power you have access to through Jesus. As we sang this week, “I have a Father He will never ever fail me, Rock of Ages, never fail.” I am eager to see how meets me the remainder of my time in Africa as I lean on Him for all I am doing!