Here in Haiti the sun rises early and sets late. And one of the best places to revel in this, the beauty of one of God’s creative masterpieces, is on the roof of the guest house.
This is by far my favorite place to start the morning. Me and God. And just this morning, during our time on the roof, I had approached the throne asking Him to work among us in a way that all we say, without a shadow of a doubt, was, “That was God.”
The life of a believer is a battlefield. And spiritual warfare is a very real thing. But I can’t say we weren’t warned. Take, for example, John 16:33. As some of His last words to His disciples, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Pay close attention to the wording from that verse. Notice He didn’t say, “if you happen to have a little bit of trouble here or there,” but rather He said, “you will have trouble.” My favorite part of this verse is that last phrase – the incredible promise that Christ’s victory leaves no reason for fear.
The reason I bring that up? Anna’s message for the kids at Vacation Bible School today was the gospel – the hardcore message of the cross. Tonight at the revival service, Cole’s message from Habakkuk was an encouragement that God is good, that He can always be trusted. I’m pretty sure someone didn’t want those messages heard… But Someone else did.
This morning, as we boarded the bus and started down the steep hill at the Cambry mission house, the bus tires slipped, and our driver, Philemon, managed to stop the bus from crashing into a tree. We’re talking mere inches.
After a quick attempt by Philemon to back the bus out of the hole and back up the hill, it was clearly evident that the bus would not be going anywhere anytime soon.
Our next attempt at freeing the bus added the guys from our team and a few men from the mission to push against the front of the bus while Philemon worked the gas pedal. But, with tires spinning and emitting smoke, the bus barely moved an inch.
By this time, many of the orphans had cautiously come up the hill to see what was causing all the commotion. Even with the addition of wood for traction and rocks to help maintain the ground covered, the bus barely budged.
So, the six girls from the team and about twenty little orphan boys boarded the bus and piled around its back right side – hoping to provide some extra weight and traction. Then, with men pushing, the girls praying, and orphans bouncing up and down on the seats, Philemon revved the engine and tried again…
and again…
and again…
Nothing.
On one last attempt (with the same scenario as before), the bus crept up the steep embankment, out of the ditch, and away from the tree. What relief and elation!
You know what the funny this is, though? We didn’t do anything differently on that final attempt. Does it seem even remotely possible that seven men and a couple of teenagers could possess the strength to push a 20,000 pound bus out of a ditch and up the side of a mountain? I think not.
But see, that’s the miracle of our weakness. I love what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. “’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Sometimes we may be granted the opportunity to entertain angels.
And sometimes, they just might entertain us.