The Lord Will Provide
Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 5:18 pm
THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!
DAY 2: PROVISION 7/5/19
What does it take to be a shepherd? Two answers stood out from my reading. One, “You had to grow up in a shepherding family,� the second one, “you have to have the heart for it.� I reflected on my call for missions and the desire to become a pastor. I was born and raised in a family of pastors and missionaries, that should make a shepherd, right? More importantly, do I have a heart for it? I guess I do! Thank you, Dr. Laniak, my desire to become a pastor has now been reaffirmed once again in a fresh way.
I remember the first funeral I conducted in the first two weeks into my pastoral ministry in Quincy. I was fresh from the GCTS (Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary) by the way, seminaries don’t teach you how to conduct funerals. As a first-time pastor, I did not know what to do. I read up every funeral service model from the Christian Ministers Manual, consulted the previous pastor, and somehow, I concluded the funeral service at the Church and the committal service at the graveyard. I still remember the words of the driver of the hearse after seeing my awkwardness said, “You will survive as a pastor in New England! You have a good heart.�
Thank you, Lord, for giving me your shepherd's heart to me. Please let me keep it tender and compassionate as I endeavor to lead the flock at Hope Church. Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will Provide!) is not one of those Christian clichés for me; it is one of the promises of God upon which my entire life has been built. For twenty years, while serving in Youth With A Mission in India, I have experienced God’s “Manna Provision,� at times His extravagant provision.
Another story comes to my mind: It was 1994, I was getting ready to marry my wife a wonderful Dutch woman, and a fellow missionary. The wedding was to take place in the Netherlands. My fiancée went off to Holland and was awaiting my arrival. I didn’t want to borrow money from her; I wanted to see if my heavenly father can take care of this substantial financial need. So, I prayed to God, saying, “Father, I need the airfare to go to Holland.�
Without me telling, God has put it in the heart of one of my Dutch friends who later not only sent my airfare but also paid for my wedding suite and let the newlyweds live in her fully furnished apartment for ten days. What an extravagant provision of God for a poor missionary from India! God remains our “Jehovah Jireh.�
Just this June, we got our oldest daughter married to a fine Christian young man, again experiencing God’s extravagant provision of our heavenly father. I tell my congregation to not to worry but to trust in God with all their needs and even at times wants because our God is Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)!
While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks: Provision Day 2, Pages 29-33
Francis Balla (D. Min) Student ID 163124
DAY 2: PROVISION 7/5/19
What does it take to be a shepherd? Two answers stood out from my reading. One, “You had to grow up in a shepherding family,� the second one, “you have to have the heart for it.� I reflected on my call for missions and the desire to become a pastor. I was born and raised in a family of pastors and missionaries, that should make a shepherd, right? More importantly, do I have a heart for it? I guess I do! Thank you, Dr. Laniak, my desire to become a pastor has now been reaffirmed once again in a fresh way.
I remember the first funeral I conducted in the first two weeks into my pastoral ministry in Quincy. I was fresh from the GCTS (Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary) by the way, seminaries don’t teach you how to conduct funerals. As a first-time pastor, I did not know what to do. I read up every funeral service model from the Christian Ministers Manual, consulted the previous pastor, and somehow, I concluded the funeral service at the Church and the committal service at the graveyard. I still remember the words of the driver of the hearse after seeing my awkwardness said, “You will survive as a pastor in New England! You have a good heart.�
Thank you, Lord, for giving me your shepherd's heart to me. Please let me keep it tender and compassionate as I endeavor to lead the flock at Hope Church. Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will Provide!) is not one of those Christian clichés for me; it is one of the promises of God upon which my entire life has been built. For twenty years, while serving in Youth With A Mission in India, I have experienced God’s “Manna Provision,� at times His extravagant provision.
Another story comes to my mind: It was 1994, I was getting ready to marry my wife a wonderful Dutch woman, and a fellow missionary. The wedding was to take place in the Netherlands. My fiancée went off to Holland and was awaiting my arrival. I didn’t want to borrow money from her; I wanted to see if my heavenly father can take care of this substantial financial need. So, I prayed to God, saying, “Father, I need the airfare to go to Holland.�
Without me telling, God has put it in the heart of one of my Dutch friends who later not only sent my airfare but also paid for my wedding suite and let the newlyweds live in her fully furnished apartment for ten days. What an extravagant provision of God for a poor missionary from India! God remains our “Jehovah Jireh.�
Just this June, we got our oldest daughter married to a fine Christian young man, again experiencing God’s extravagant provision of our heavenly father. I tell my congregation to not to worry but to trust in God with all their needs and even at times wants because our God is Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)!
While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks: Provision Day 2, Pages 29-33
Francis Balla (D. Min) Student ID 163124