Home  Newsletters Molly Molly's November 2007 newsletter
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Molly's November 2007 newsletter |
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“Just pray that my feet would be on the right path and that I would follow God well.”
Such said a young Muslim man named "Jamal" (not his real name) when I offered to pray for him a couple months ago. Since then, he has stopped by the Jesus Kitchen several times, hungry for deep conversation more than he was hungry for our food, asking questions, truly desiring to know the truth about God, even if is means that he is wrong in his devotion to the Muslim faith. This young man has been a joy to meet. Rarely do I encounter someone who is so genuinely searching for the truth, so deeply desires to know God, and so eagerly wants to follow his will. In fact, Jamal has joined with many other voices in my life, compelling me to examine how much I truly desire God’s presence. I do many things in his name, but how much do I want him? I say I want to experience his power in my life, but how much do I cry out simply for his presence? Do I want him, or do I want an idea of him, or a ministry with his name attached?
God has been challenging me recently to realize just how much I need him in everyday life. It is easy, in times of despair, to cry out to him as my only hope. It is natural, in times of joy, to turn to him in celebration. But what about those monotonous days where nothing significant seems to happen—neither traumatic nor wonderful? Do I need God any less? The answer, as I have been firmly reminded by my King, is a resounding NO.
I listened to a sermon by Heidi Baker the other day, and she spoke about when Moses told God that unless he had his presence, he couldn’t go where he was being sent (Exodus 33). Similarly, she has made her constant prayer, "Lord, I won’t go without your presence!" She simply refuses to budge unless she knows God is going with her. She knows her need. The day that I listened to that sermon happened to be a Tuesday, and when I went to church that night, a special speaker gave a message based on the same passage. "Gee," I thought. "Way to be obvious about it, God."
Needless to say, I am asking God to give me the kind of desire that both Heidi Baker and Jamal have—the kind of desperation that causes someone to plead with God not to send her anywhere unless he goes with her. And even if I don’t feel it as deeply as I would like, I have resolved to stand in the truth that I am totally in need of his presence, and refuse to go unless he goes with me—whether that be to church, to Jesus Kitchen, or to work. I do not want to go without his presence. I want to make the most of every opportunity, and in order to do that, I need him with me.
There is one area in particular that God has put his finger on, where I have neglected his presence and am not taking advantage of the opportunity I have. Some of you may remember that I have wanted to write a few books for quite some time. This is something I have always thought would have to wait until I was fully supported, since I simply do not have time to write books in addition to everything else I do. Recently, however, God had a little something to say about that. See, sometimes I am discouraged, because I began raising support nearly five years ago, and I receive about the same amount today as I did then. I have so many ideas and dreams of things I could do (including a new book idea!) if I had the time to do them—time that is currently taken up with work. But I realized—or rather, God gave me a nudge to remind me—that I often have spare time at work, and instead of just wishing I could do everything I dream of someday, I should use the time I have now in order to work on doing one of those things. So I have returned to a task I began originally in 2005… writing a book about things I have learned about ministry, about God, about life. My old dream was to get it published and then somehow to get on Oprah and tell everyone about Jesus! Or perhaps God will work a miracle so that the book sells enough to support me in ministry. I have no idea what his plan is, but I love writing, so I am going to start moving forward on this one passion instead of just dreaming about it and waiting for the time to be perfect. I invite you to join with me in praying that God would constantly remind me of my need for him all settings, and that as I resolve not to go anywhere without him, I will be able to use the time I have to the fullest.
Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong!
Molly S. Waggoner
Prayer requests:
- SHIFT Discipleship School is going well and will be drawing to a close at the end of this month. It has made my life very busy, but the classes have been going great. Please continue to pray for the students as they finish up this intense time of study and focus on God, and for me to be able to faithfully communicate things we can only begin to grasp about God. Also, we are starting something called NightSHIFT, where we will offer various classes in biblical, theological, spiritual, and community studies, held in the evenings or on weekends for people who want to go deeper in their faith but cannot take time off to do a full-time school. This will start in January, and while I will not be teaching any classes during our first “trimester,” I would ask for your prayers as we continue to develop plans, for the instructors, and for the right people to sign up for classes. If you are interested in taking any classes yourself, please let me know!
- There is hope that Hard Times may be open before the end of the year, but it is still closed at this point. Please continue to pray. Brian, whom I mentioned last month, has been told he needs to undergo more cancer treatment than planned, so please also continue to pray for his healing and for God’s provision.
- Please pray for wisdom to know how to handle the leadership of the Jesus Kitchen when I am in New Zealand.
- I may have a possible replacement for my role in church finances. Please pray that this will be finalized so that I can start doing things at church that I have a passion for.
- Pray that I would be able to use the opportunities I have to write and that God would inspire me with his wisdom. And if you want to start praying about a great publishing deal and an appointment with Oprah, go ahead!
- As always, please pray that God would make his will clear in my personal life.
- Most of all, please pray that God would deepen my desire for him and that my awareness of my need for him would result in the reality of his presence going before me at all times and in all places.
Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving!
MSW
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