“1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”
Psalm 105:1-2 ESV.
When we follow God, we never know where He will lead us. So, in the last ten years, He’s taken me on an adventure that led me to write and share the Gospel to the world. And then, God blessed me with an opportunity to speak at a Christian women’s conference in Kenya last month. And the venture gave me a mountaintop experience that I won’t soon forget. In fact, I hope to return to Kenya next year to speak again.
The Gospel Theme
David, the Pastor, reached out to me through a Christian speaker’s website. And after much prayer, I accepted his invitation to come to his church in the suburbs of Nairobi, Kenya. Pastor David set the conference’s theme as Isaiah 41:10 (NIV); “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” So I set out to search the Gospel as I prepared my talks for the three-day engagement.
During the preparations, I often emailed David to get more information about his congregation. He explained the poverty in his area and how COVID increased their hardships. And about how many of his church members struggled to put food on the table daily. Yet, they did not seek a handout, but instead they sought God to help them stand firm during these difficult situations. Their faith encouraged me to become more faithful.
Once in Kenya, our conversations continued as we drove about an hour back and forth to the church each day. David described how some had lost all hope and even attempted suicide to escape the problems. And David’s prayer for this conference was to give them back their hope in Christ. David’s faith inspired me to trust God more.
As the conference began, we spent the first two hours of each session worshipping and praising God. Then the women sang and danced their praises to their King. And I felt the Holy Spirit fill the room. The two hours passed in the blink of an eye and showed me the true purpose of worship.
“Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
Exodus 4:12 NIV.
The Gospel Lessons
God gave me the best words to share with them in many of the promises we find in the Bible. So I shared the following seven truths with them:
- God knows us by name (Isaiah 43:1 NIV), and He promises He is our strength.
- God goes before us (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV), and He promises He will always be with us.
- God strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NIV), and He promises He has plans to prosper us.
- Our present suffering pales compared to eternity (Romans 8:18 NIV), and He promises us eternity with Him.
- No weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17 NIV), and He promises He will fight for us.
- I am a child of God (Romans 8:16 NIV), and He promises to give us peace.
- The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in me (Ephesians 1:19-20 NIV), and He promises He will always love us.
As our time together ended, David told me how he built this church on faith and trusted God to provide for him and his family because they don’t receive any salary. So, he struggles to care for his church family while also feeding his own family. His complete trust in God convicted me to trust God for everything I need.
These women I went there to teach taught me about standing firm in my faith, no matter the circumstances I face. As a result, I left Kenya with a stronger faith and a heart full of joy. I trusted God to go to Kenya and came home with more trust in God. We serve an awesome God. And as the Kenyans say, “Bwana Asifiwe” (praise God). Amen.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank You that we get to be a part of Your global Church at this moment. Thank You for the opportunity to spread Your love and hope to a world living in darkness and despair. Give us the strength to share Your Gospel to all those we meet. In Jesus’ most holy name. Amen.