Grace for the journey
And the God of ALL grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance of every good work!
Often times we hear people, pastors, preachers, believers, say “delay is not denial.” Although that may be true, I would say that it is not delayed! God never delays His promise to us. We and others in the Bible may ask or have asked God not to delay deliverance, provision or protection unto us. Psalm 70:5 and Psalm 40:17. But God is not late, which means God is not delaying anything. Isaiah 46:13, Habakkuk 2:3, and Hebrews 10:37.
To delay is the act of postponing, hindering, or causing something to occur more slowly than normal. Maybe we don’t get specific times on promises because it builds our patience, and our faith. It also pushes us to the limit of our beliefs and then God seems to work it out better than we could have dreamt. The appointed time has come! For me this looks like, “I’m done Lord!” When I have done all that I think I am suppose to do and more, God simply asks me “are you done?” Is it because I don’t want God to think that I am lazy or slothful or is it because I have been taught the non biblical, untruth that “God helps the child who helps themselves or who’s got his own?” So there are times that I suffer through trying to do “it all” when that is not required of me “at all.”
We can get a clear picture of ourselves if we care to examine ourselves. If we do a debrief, we can see how we act or react under certain circumstances, maybe to change our behavior in the future or to better ourselves. Emotional maturity.
Who placed a time expectation on Gods assignment, promise, or gifting? Self, pastor or prophet did by saying “by this time tomorrow, or this time next week.” Well, when it doesn’t happen, we are disappointed and more so wondering if that word wasn’t for me or God didn’t keep His promise. We may be left feeling empty or let down or maybe even depressed. Hope deferred makes the heart sick…. Proverbs… Let’s not stop there though… But a longing fulfilled is a tree of life Proverbs 13:12.There are days when my hope of Serving in Africa, or completing a God assignment makes my heart sick because the longing and the hope seems delayed. The Tree of Life symbolizes personal development, growth, knowledge, wisdom, etc. Once the longing is fulfilled and I examine yourself, the lessons are clear. I can see lessons now although I am still in the longing of it!
What I was seeing as a “delay” I no longer see as a delay. I see it as a deferment, or as we believers say, “it is all in Gods timing.” Proverbs 16:9 ” in our hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” There are many scriptures that come to mind. I must remember that I am still learning as I am doing. Maybe this is my time of preparation and I am sure that the preparation is to prepare me in more than one way. I trust God. Most of the time it is me that I do not trust! Selah…
I know my “give up” meter can be short if I don’t see what I think is good traction. At times I think, “maybe my direction is incorrect, or did I hear God incorrectly.” But the thought I fight with the most is “is this really for me Lord? Am I the one you chose for this?” God is so gracious to confirm His Word to me over and over again. God’s timing grows our faith, and expands our testimonies. My story matters. I will live to declare the good works of my Father!
Thank you Lord for your Grace! Yes it is sufficient for me and your assignment for me in this season.
I am still believing God to be fully financially ready to depart for training come this August 2022. My heart still stands in awe of the hearts that God has spoken to on my behalf. I thank you for signing up to be a monthly supporter of God’s vision for Eswatini! Most of all, I thank you for your love and prayers. I cannot make it day to day without you!! Please tell a friend, share the links with others.
As much as I would love for you to partner with me, I would ask that you inquire of the Lord and then be obedient to God’s response. The need is to have roughly $1,500.00 in monthly supporters to meet my goal in order to depart. I am asking for monthly supporters whether it is $100.00 or $10.00 a month. All amounts help. If you can sign up to sow into Kingdom purpose for Eswatini monthly, I would be grateful. I will of course keep you posted with videos, vlogs and blogs, and will be in continual prayer for you and your prayer needs.
I will close with Paul’s comments to the people. They seem harsh as the truth often does. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. (Philippians 4:17 NIV) The New Living Translation (NLT) says it this way, “I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. Consider a monthly donation to help as I continue my process to get to the Kingdom of Eswatini to help strengthen families!
Actively pursuing God’s will and plans
I have had 8 meetings with Regional leaders, Care Point Coordinators (representing 25- 30 care points), and AIM leadership here and abroad. I am still in the process of building community specific programs for approximately 6 communities. We are working in Phase 2 of building out the Family Strengthening curriculum. If you are interested in learning more about what God is doing or how you can help, I am available!
May the peace of God rest upon you.
Vivianne Dumas
