Ask a Missionary - Catch The Fire

A:
Look for an inner conviction, for godly
counsel, and then for an agency.
Three Cs are vital to knowing and following God’s will:
• Conviction. This comes from studying the Bible, praying,
hearing sermons, reading mission material, and focusing
on God’s plan for the world and your part in fulfilling it.
• Counsel. Share your thoughts with godly leaders and
friends to receive prayer and suggestions.
• Circumstances. Contact a mission agency, go on a
short-term exposure trip, and talk to missionaries. Keep
marching ahead as doors continue to open.
One caution: don’t mix the order above. That is, don’t look
at circumstances before the inner conviction and before godly
counsel.
Answer from Merle, who served for twenty-one years in Ethiopia and Sudan
with Serving in Mission (SIM).
A:
Stay close to God and trust him to lead in
unmistakable ways.
When our sons were about three years old and just learning to
express themselves in English, we spent countless hours trying to
figure out what they wanted or what they were trying to tell us. In
contrast, when I was a teenager and my father wanted the grass
mowed before he came home from work, he never had a problem
getting his expectations across to me. Now, I could have turned to
my older brother and said, “You know, I think Dad may want me to
mow the grass today, but I’m just not sure. How can I be certain of
Dad’s will on this matter?” But of course my brother would have
thought I had gone nuts to ask such a thing.
Is our heavenly Father, the Creator of heaven and earth, any
less able than my earthly dad to communicate his will in clear and
unmistakable terms? I think not. If you have to puzzle over a feeling
GUIDANCE: Discovering God's Plan | 11