Life in the Cleft

The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

Allow me to let you all in on a little secret. Missionaries are not "super" Christians or self-effacing martyrs (although in retrospect some may have proven themselves to be supremely faithful; i.e. Judson, Carey, and others whose stories we know so well). In truth, missionaries are frail children of God who try to move on in the strength that only God can provide.

For example, sometimes (okay, much of the time) missionaries just want to see their family, eat familiar food, speak their native tongue, and go "home." The only problem when it comes to home is finding it! For the "missionary," (and permit me to expand that definition to include more than those who happen to serve on "foreign" fields) home is a cleft in the rock somewhere near the heart of God. It is the one place where peace reigns and comfort never ends, and while most of us understand the importance of living there (and many would also like to run there), the difficulty lies in remaining there once we have arrived.

Only by God's grace can we find His shelter and live in it.

The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, "O God, forgive me," or "Help me." - Billy Graham