God Knows

I'm gonna I had a couple announcements things to do but I'm just going to go ahead and go to my passage of scripture for the evening I'm going to go to Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11. says for I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end for just a few moments this evening I'm going to speak to us on this thought God knows God knows let's pray and ask the Lord to speak to us tonight Lord we thank you once again for the opportunity to be in your house tonight to be in your presence O Lord and we just pray God that you would speak to our hearts through your word God that our hearts would be like good ground and as the seed of your word is planted in our hearts that we would it would begin to grow and take root God and that we would leave this place differently than we left or then we came in tonight in Jesus name in Jesus name you may be seated it was uh 2019 my wife and I we had been married uh a little over a year probably a year and a half and we had the opportunity to go on our first mission trip uh as a couple we we had gone on on trips individually uh prior to being married but we had really felt strongly that the Lord was calling us into missions and so in 2019 we had applied and been approved and we were going to the nation of Latvia to do uh to serve there for three months and and we served we plugged in and as we were there we felt the Lord leading us to stay an extra month to extend our time uh and as we had extended our time God just began to open uh different opportunities to us to be able to to travel to different nations and one of those Nations was actually the nation of Moldova the uh the need or the opportunity had been presented to us that through connections uh that that other missionaries have to individuals in Moldova there was a community that there's a church there and they're not United Pentecostal Church they're not necessarily even Oneness but they they're inviting us to come and we're going to go and we're going to believe that God is going to move in these services and people's lives are going to be touched and changed and so everything had been set up you know it had been in the works for for a while and my wife and I had just been there at the right time and so they asked us to just simply go into Moldova for a few days in advance of the evangelists that were coming in and to kind of do a little bit of research essentially go on a scouting trip and uh figure out how to how to get from point A to point B and to facilitate the evangelists when they come and we said yes absolutely we're excited for the opportunity we'll do what we can and so we made our plans and uh at some point probably within like the two weeks before we entered into Moldova we found out that actually one of the evangelists was not going to be able to be there so we had to step into that role which was a little bit scary but God knows all things and he orchestrated every detail beyond what we even thought possible and so as we were going through the airport in Latvia on our way to Moldova again we we're in our fourth month so in in lot view we were able to be there because it's uh part of the European Union Schengen region we could be there for 90 days no problem well Latvia has a separate agreement we could stay an extra 90 days uh because we're American citizens but what we didn't know until we were getting our passport stamped on the way out of Latvia they told us well thank you for coming to Lobby you can't come back for I think it was like 180 days something like that and we said okay this really wouldn't be that big of a problem to us except for the fact we thought we were going to be able to come back our return flight home to the states which would have been shortly after this trip to Moldova was booked to come through Latvia and because knowing this we had left about 95 percent of our belongings in Latvia and so we said okay Lord how are you going to figure this one out because we don't have a clue and so we said at this point our passports are stamped we're on our way to Moldova God it's in your hands and what we didn't know when we came to find out a little bit later is that the other evangelist that was coming to Moldova was coming by way of Latvia and so he was able to get all of our belongings and bring them to us so God already had that planned out figured it out for us but we had to figure out how are we going to get home so once we're in Moldova we get on Google good old trusty Google and uh we get on and type in the airline office that we're flying with and we're we're gonna walk there and we're we're going to go there and try to get our flights figured out how are we going to get back home because I wanted to get that off my mind so I could focus and and do the work of the Lord and uh so we looked it up it was about a 45 minute walk from where we were staying and on top of that again we had this list of of things that we needed to accomplish uh bits of information that we needed to gather not only for the trip that we were a part of at this time to facilitate but also we had at this point recognize that the Lord was calling us to Moldova and so we were trying to do a little bit of extra research with our our time there and so we had this checklist and at the top of the list at that moment was figure out how to get home and Google told us it was going to be a 45 minute walk which we decided to walk because not getting on public transportation I don't know where those buses go I don't I don't know the language so I'm not going to get in a taxi I can't ask for help I can't ask for directions I can't tell the taxi driver to stop when I get there so we're just gonna walk and unfortunately the time we were there it was it was rather warm so it's a long hot Journey there we walk into the airline office and lo behold it's not the right Airline office come to find out Google isn't exactly updated in Moldova and so most of the places that you research and think that you're going to end up not actually being what you thought or hoped they would be so we walked in and found out it wasn't the right place and trying to figure out how to communicate with them because we don't speak the same language asking them for help and they're speaking to us in Russian and we don't know anything except for the word yet which means no so we understood that we're not going to get any help today and so we we walk out and if I can be honest and transparent I was a little bit frustrated even not just with the situation but with God you know okay God you know first of all I'm trying to follow after your will I'm trying to give my life to you you know I'm newly married just just a little bit over a year and a half still trying to figure this thing out got a lot of pressure on me God I need you to help me so why are you not coming through God do you even understand what I'm going through do you even understand the amount of pressure that I feel right now especially you know I'm in a country where I don't know the language I don't know the people I don't know anything and I'm being asked to facilitate services in hopes that someone will receive your gospel and someone will come to know you and be filled with your spirit and baptized in your name God I'm trying to do a work for you do you know but I'm reminded of Isaiah chapter 55 and verse 9. for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts you see we had a particular idea of how we thought this trip was going to go we had made our plans we had outlined how we were going to do things and you know we I believe that's okay I believe that the Lord wants us to make plans he wants us to continue to work for his kingdom and move forward and don't just sit there and expect things to happen he wants us to work put our hand to the plow but he also wants us to trust him and so we we go through this little season of frustration and God we have all these things on our list it's just not working out and so we decided okay we're just gonna try to find a coffee shop we're going to sit down we didn't get cell phones because we're only going to be there a few days we didn't get the SIM cards I mean and so we said we're going to find a coffee shop we'll connect to the internet we'll kind of regroup and figure out what our next steps are going to be so we go we find a place we sit down we're we're doing some research drinking some coffee and then walks this man and he starts talking to the Barista in English we're like hold up wait a second Boris least visited nobody from America and here's this guy and we found ourselves approaching this man and asking him what we now are asked by everybody that meets us excuse us sir who are you and why are you in Moldova and he began to to speak to us and share with us he said I'm actually a U.S marine and I work at the embassy so that's awesome you know like how long have you been here we you know we had a conversation with him and he began to to inquire of us ask us why we were there we began to share and he said well are you all busy right now we said well yes and no we're busy because we have these things we're trying to do but uh not really because we don't really know how to do them and uh so what do you have in mind he said well actually he said because I work at the embassy I have I have a vehicle and he said and actually today is my day off so if you would like he said you can come with me and I'll just give you a tour around the city I'll show you around show you the ropes now he said that would be amazing and so like a good young trusting American couple we got in the vehicle in a country where we don't speak the language know anything with a stranger okay but we had coffee amen and uh God was good to us and you know we're we're here so it obviously all worked out and I I can say too that my my parents they weren't really super exactly happy about the fact that we did this but they understand that God's Got Us um and so he began to drive us around and in one hour he began to check off box after box after box everything that we had on our list to to go through the city and figure out that day he just began to to answer all of those things in one hour it almost took us an hour to find the airline that wasn't the right place to find out that our way wasn't working but but God said if you'll just keep moving forward if you'll just keep trusting me if you'll just keep walking with me I have a plan I have a purpose and just just know that I've got it all figured out I know where you are I know the situation that you're going through I know the struggles that you're facing I know the uncertainty that's in your heart but just trust me just walk with me and I have it all planned out I'm gonna work all these details out and so we got our we got our airline tickets figured out via the phone and we ended up coming back home we came home and we had applied again we said we felt called to Moldova so we applied to go back to Moldova for a year as my wife mentioned earlier and we we go to Ukraine with the expectation of only being there for a short time and and again week after week borders are closed day after day prayer after prayer God you've called us to this nation but we're not able to get there God we're in a place where everything is so literally foreign to us the language the culture the food which is actually pretty good most things but God we're in this country where we didn't even expect that we were going to be not not for this long it wasn't in our plans it wasn't in what we had in our mind and again if I can be just a little bit transparent this evening you know there was there was a measure of frustration in my heart and in my spirit and I remember I would go before the Lord and I would I would ask him and say you know God why you know like again trying to follow your will God I'm bringing my my family across the world we're selling everything we're we're giving up so many things because we want to see your will accomplished God do you do you understand do you know and and of course we know that he knows but when we're in the middle of these situations it's really easy to become consumed with the problems that we're facing it's so easy to be con consumed with the stresses of of life and the cares of life and the questions they just begin to add up and the answers are not matching up and we just come before the Lord God do you do you even understand and I I remember even times of feeling abandoned by God you know again God I'm trying to serve you trying to walk with you I'm trying to trying to trust you but it's just you're not making it easy on me you're making it pretty difficult because it's it's a little bit confusing and and at times I find myself and you may find yourself in a season or a period of your life where you you might be like job or you say behold I go forward but he's not there and backward but I cannot perceive him on the left hand where he does work but I cannot Behold Him he hided himself on the right hand that I cannot perceive him we go through their Seasons where we can't really see God in the middle of what we're walking through we can't really feel God in the middle of the stress the uncertainty that we're facing but he's there you know since becoming a father I've I've learned a few things uh some things such as new vocabulary words that I wasn't exactly aware of before some Concepts even about the development of my son that I had no idea that had names it's something that you know naturally innately kind of recognizes happening within him but I don't really know there was a term for it and you know sometimes sometimes we play a little game me and my son Silas and you may be familiar with this game and in fact if you're not familiar with this game I'm gonna go ahead and play it right now if that's okay and you know it's going to be a little bit more difficult with this Pulpit I love it but it's a little bit challenging for this game so you just have to use your imagination peekaboo you wanna try it again one more time ah peekaboo you see the the concept or the terminology is called object permanence it's the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be sensed or perceived even when I look around me if I I look around at my situations I look around at my uncertainties I look around at the despair that I feel I feel as if God has abandoned me God himself has forsaken me but I must be reminded as job reminded himself in verse 10. but he knoweth the way that I take and when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold that even when I can't see him he's there even when I can't feel him in the middle of my uncertainty even when I can't perceive him when I think he's gone when I think he's abandoned me when I think he's left me all alone in my situation he's still there and if I just will hold on to him if I will continue to walk with him through this struggle that then on the other side of this struggle I will be made new in him on the on the other side of this trial of this uncertainty of this frustration I will find peace on the other side of this pain on the other side of this Brokenness I will find Restoration in him I will rejoice in the Lord because I know that he is at work in my life and I know that even when I can't see it even when I can't feel it when it doesn't make sense in my natural mind that I have a God who is a king of kings and the Lord of lords he is a Waymaker when when everything seems to be falling apart around me he's got it in control and during my testing I will bless him during my testing I will trust him during my testing I will make him known I remember one time in Ukraine that I was praying and I was looking at the chaos and disruption of of our lives and this thing called covet and I just looked at all the the things that were happening beyond that political things and I said God there's so much chaos in the world it just doesn't make sense and and I'm going through my own personal things it doesn't make sense I said God it just looks like everything is falling apart and he stopped me and he said you look around at the world you see death destruction chaos and you say everything is falling apart he said I look at the situations around the world and the situations in your life and I say everything is falling into place because I have a purpose and a plan that is greater than what you can imagine you may not understand every detail right now you may not understand why you're going through the testing that you're going through you may not understand why you're in the middle of the pain or the uncertainty that you're in but just trust me and walk with me and know that I am God and I will be with you through it all amen and I'm gonna close with one last story so we had we had been in Moldova for for a month and um we had our team of of aimers they came and we were working together with them and we were doing some teaching and some training with them and part of the teaching and training is that we would do prayer walks and so we circled in an area of the map about an hour long and we decided for seven days what we're going to do is we're gonna do seven days of prayer and fasting believing that God is going to do something and so we we had done this and on the seventh day we had decided at the end of our time we're going to pick a spot in the city and we're going to go and we're going to lift our hands and we're going to begin to shout and we're beginning to call upon the name of the Lord and believe that that his work and his will would be accomplished and so the area that we had picked it was in the in a park it was between the or the uh the government building of Moldova and a large Orthodox Church two strongholds so to speak upon the nation because Orthodoxy comprises about 90 to 95 percent of the population and then the government there's corruption and confusion and uncertainty and there's a lot there but we said God that you're bigger than all of these things and so what we're going to do is we're going to go to this place between these two these two things that we're going to begin to call upon your name and so we did we we finished our prayer walk and we went there we began to lift our hands and our voices and we began to call upon the name of the Lord you have to understand the people of Moldova they're they're very quiet and reserved people because of the influence and impact of Soviet Union and communism because they learned not to trust anyone they learned to be reserved into themselves because I I don't know if I can trust the person next to me and so because of this us being Americans number one speaking English and number two standing there making a lot of noise in the middle of their City we were obviously standing out and so we got quite a few looks um I would assume that people were thinking were crazy um at least most of them but there was this one elderly gentleman and as as we were standing there lifting our hands and calling upon the name of the Lord I noticed every moment or so as I would look in his Direction he was he was not deterred by what we were doing he was intrigued he was curious and every moment or so he would take a few steps he was getting closer and closer to us and by the time that we had finished praying and praising the name of the Lord he was standing right in the middle of our group he began to speak to us he began to share and say with big tears streaming down his face he began to say I've been coming to this park every day for the past 10 years and I've been praying and seeking the Lord and asking him to send someone to my nation who will bring Revelation and understanding of who he truly is that I've been praying every day for the past 26 years that that God would send someone to my nation to begin to share his wonderful truth and begin to break the chains of tradition off of the minds of my people and they would know what it means to truly have a relationship and a walk with God you see if we had gone into Moldova in our own timing in our own way our own abilities I I don't know I'm not God he he probably would have orchestrated an opportunity for us to meet this man but I just believe that that God heard the prayers of this man and he he's he heard the prayers of a young couple saying God we will go and he said that's okay I'm gonna let you go but I'm gonna take you some places first I gotta teach you some things first I got to help you make some connections first because without those connections you're not going to be able to minister to this man and I'm coming to a close if we could all stand you see when when we were in Ukraine we were connected with the church who who is strong and plugged in and serving the lord and they do all of their services in Russian and they do them online and this man that we met in the park we don't speak his language we had to use Google Translate to be even to even be able to communicate a little bit with him but the next week when he showed up to our home God how in the world am I going to minister to this man I can't communicate with him it's going to be a real weird service if I have to preach through Google translate it can be done but it's going to be weird but God said you remember that time that I had you go to Ukraine is because there was a man in Moldova who's been seeking after more there's a man in Moldova who who at times has probably questioned and said God do you even hear the prayers that I'm praying God do you even know what I'm going through and it took some time to develop the plan that God had set in place but this man was able to come to our home and he was able to be ministered too because God had a plan and I I don't know what what situation that you find yourself in this evening I don't know what struggle or uncertainty or question is in your heart but I've just come to encourage you this evening that he'll never leave you and he will never forsake you he won't abandon you in the middle of your trial all he's asking you to do tonight to surrender and to trust him say God even when I can't see the answer even when I can't I can't feel your presence in the middle of my struggle when I can't uh God I'm feeling around I'm looking I'm searching God and it looks as if as if you've abandoned me all he's saying is just continue to walk with me don't don't give up on me because I I haven't given up on you don't don't walk away don't don't stop walking don't stop giving don't stop going because because on the other side of this there's going to be something so much greater then what you're dealing with right now you're going to have a testimony on the other side of this trial that when you share this testimony with someone else it's going to encourage them that and remind them that I will never leave them or forsake them we're here to encourage you tonight that the prayers that you have prayed day after day week after week month after month year after year they have not fallen on deaf ears but God has heard you he knows where you at you're at and your answer may not come tomorrow but it will come in his time because God knows he he has a purpose and a plan for your life he has a purpose and a plan for every situation every season that we go through and those tears that you cry those prayers that you pray those those wailings that come forth when no one else is around and no one else knows no one else hears or sees he hears he sees he knows you he knows where you are and he loves you I wonder if right where you are or maybe even come forward to the front tonight however you all do that here just begin to lift your hands and call upon the name of the Lord and say God I I know I've been questioning God I know I've been searching I know I may even have even expressed some frustration to you but God I'm gonna lay that down at your feet tonight and I'm gonna surrender to you and I'm gonna just say God I trust you I trust you with my life and I know that you know and that you have a way a will and a plan in Jesus name