The Shakedown before Revival

I feel like it’s a constant theme within Scripture of God always allowing faith rattling things to happen before He shows up in even bigger ways. Before Paul was set ablaze for Christ and took the gospel to more places than anyone in the world and wrote more than half of the New Testament he had to encounter Christ a shakedown kind of way. He was struck of his horse on the road to Damascus and Scripture says that he encountered the risen Christ. I don’t know about you, but I could only imagine how much this shook Paul to his core being a persecutor of the very Christ he was seeing. In the Old Testament we see how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, suffered as a prisoner and servant before God brought him into the place of a pharaoh’s assistant. Joseph, who had previously seen dreams of his brothers bowing down to him, these very brothers that sold him into slavery, was most likely having his faith shaken as he sat in that prison cell. Yet in all these cases throughout Scripture we see that these “shakedowns” always brought about a greater good, a greater revival of the purpose and mission of God.

Currently, at Canaan, I feel like we are in this shakedown phase. With a change in some of the missionary staffing, we as a team and Canaan as a whole has had to readjust in many ways.  The kids have had to get use to a change in the teaching staff and adjusting to a few new faces. There are days when these changes seem impossible for them, but as we progress we are seeing the kids actually renewed and encouraged to strive on in even greater ways.

Also at Canaan right now we are having our land surveyed and the removal of squatters that are currently on our land. This is bringing quite the shakedown of our community as we are all on high alert because of the squatters potential outrage of being forced to move.  We have a whole new set of rules for where we can be and cannot be at certain times and as with any change it brings frustration. But after meeting with Pastor Henri last night the team now sees the greater good that will come from this happening. As these squatters are removed, Canaan will have more opportunity to grow and expand on the land that God has given them. With these projected long term expansions Canaan will be enabled to reach thousands and thousands more for Christ.

Personally, I’m being shaken to the core right now as well. A few days ago I got the news that my uncle who has been fighting stage 4 lymphoma for over a year was emergency admitted into the hospital. They have started him on heavy radiation and with a tumor close by one of his kidneys they are expecting this to have damaging effects on that kidney. Too often we think that if we are serving God that guarantees everything in our lives flow good and dandy. But that is nothing but a lie. I knew that as God led me to make the decision to return to Haiti for four months that my uncle was still sick. And yet God told me to trust him. So I stand here, an ocean away, with the reality that my uncle might not make it. But I also stand in the reality that I have a Savior who took cancer on the cross. I have a God that is a healer, who is The Great Physician.  I stand in the reality of a God who says that “faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.” So while my faith is being shaken to the core right now, I praise God that I even have the gift of faith. I praise God knowing that in the moment I am being shaken, but it is only a preparation of a coming revival, a coming move of God.

The fact is that we don’t always understand why God does things the way He does them. But I am learning that I am so glad that He does do them His way. While the shakedowns aren’t that fun, I know that I stand in a faith that is ultimately unshakeable, and that God will bring me through, and us through anything that comes our way. I know that God uses these times to shape and mold, to build up, and push us on to greater things. So I praise God for these shakedowns, because it is only the flood gate being opened of the coming revival that is to hit this land called Canaan, to hit this country called Haiti that will ultimately flood into the ends of the earth.