Anticipate :: Devo #5

The God of Peace
When you anticipate the trip to the Dominican Republic in March, would you say feel a peace about your decision to go? Your preparation? Do you have any anxieties about what might happen on the trip itself? Experience has certainly shown us that a mission trip will not be without its challenges. I can tell you that there have been difficult times for me in the last two trips.

Read Philippians 4:6, 7. Verse 6 suggests that we talk to God. Perhaps we bring to him things we are anxious about. Or perhaps we talk to him so that we will not become anxious about upcoming challenges. 1Peter 5:7 puts it this way, “Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” As a result, we are told in verse 7 that “The God of peace will guard your hearts and your minds.”

What will God do with our anxieties? He might let us know that he is in control, giving us a peace during a time of tension, that “peace that passes all understanding.” But he may also send a teammate to counsel or comfort us, so be ready! Some memorable “anxious” times that I have experienced provided others to step up and shoulder some of the burdens I felt at the time.

Let’s prepare our hearts now for the ways that God will use us to spread his peace during our time in the Dominican Republic.

Prayer
Offer Hebrews 13:20, 21 as a prayer for yourself.

Pray for Gracesqui and Ramona. These servants radiate God’s peace as they minister to the people in the mountain community. They have little in the way of material goods, but never stop giving. Pray that their example continues to make a difference to the people they shepherd.