James 1:5 has been such an incredible and amazing verse of promise for my heart over the last few months especially. It states that if we lack wisdom (and yes as fallible humans we most definitely lack His infinite, all-knowing wisdom), that we are to ASK Him for wisdom. In turn, He promises in this Scripture to give us wisdom freely and abundantly for the ASKING. The key seems to be the asking part. He is waiting for His children to humbly say, "I can't do this without You, Father." "I am not smart enough on my own, Father." "Help me by giving me Your Wisdom, Father." He is delighted when His children ASK and SAY these things in prayer, especially when the reasoning is for His glory and the good of serving Him and others honorably. I just can't help but to recall how pleased that God was when Solomon's request of Him was for wisdom and an understanding heart to lead the people that God called Him to lead. God not only blessed him with wisdom, but much more in material and leadership blessings than one could ever imagine.
So often in my life I try to do it on my own. So often in my life I fail to ask for the wisdom and strength of my Almighty Father. However, in the last few years, I have truly learned the beauty and humility of asking Him for His strength and wisdom for the tasks that He gives me to accomplish. It is all about Him and I truly am nothing without Him. Anything worth doing for Him requires resting in the power of His Spirit alone to take control. When we allow ourselves to get out of the way and let the Spirit lead, there is no end to what He can accomplish in us and through us. I certainly am not completely there, but I continue to pray that I will truly live in God sufficiency and not self sufficiency. I am thankful for the lessons that He is teaching me and the things that He has lead me to do in which I must rely on Him alone, for I do not have the skill needed, but He does. I love God's creative ways to answer prayer. God sufficiency is only seen in God sized tasks in which all human wisdom must be abandoned. Afterward, there is no doubt Who gets the credit, but God alone.
My second favorite story to take home from Hungary deals with these topics of asking for and receiving His wisdom in order to accomplish a task in God sufficiency where self sufficiency most assuredly fails. Here it goes...
Any teacher knows that in every class, no matter how big or small the numbers, there is always that one kid that just doesn't seem to be into it so to speak. They don't want to participate. They don't seem happy being in class. That student may even change from day to day. However, any teacher also knows that just one student with that attitude can be toxic to a classroom dynamic. My time teaching His fearfully and wonderfully made creation of Hungarian children was no exception to this rule. In my first group of campers, my co teacher and I had one child that fit this description. Her name was Angela. In the picture above she is the girl beside me in the red, name tag in mouth. Even through the language barrier I could appreciate the special creation of God that He made her in heart and personality. She was a little older than some in our group and knew more than she wanted to use for class. She wanted to belong, participate, and still be "cool." She had a great smile and zany sense of humor. However, it took everything within us to get her to relax and show it. My teaching partner and I longed for her to participate and have fun while participating. We spent time talking about this issue in our planning times. We tried to pull "tricks" from all our years and experience of teaching. Then I realized on Tuesday after our third class that while I asked God's help in leading and teaching these little ones, I had not prayed to Him for help and wisdom specifically for this child and this issue. I spent time praying to Him about this specifically asking for His help. In talking to my teaching partner later, she was doing the same. And God keeps His promises as He is faithful. It still amazes me.
We started class on Wednesday in our normally format of introduction conversations such as "Hello. Good Morning. My name is ___________. I am ____________years old." We then went to a movement activity that we called "Circle Time" in which we got the children up and moving using English directions such as "Hop 3 times, Clap two times, Turn around one time, Sit down, Stand up." Every class we added an additional movement to the routine. We had always as teachers been the ones to say the directions while the campers said them with us while also doing the movements. That morning, God's wisdom came for us, our group, and for Angela. Out of the blue, with no prior thinking, my teaching partner asked Angela to be the leader of the "Circle Time." At first she was not willing. However after a little prompting from my teaching partner and I, she did it. Not only did she do it, but with a smile on her face as the rest of the campers in our group looked to her in affirmation and respect. That was the one need of her heart that she really wanted. Then one by one, all the other campers wanted a turn to be the leaders of "Circle Time." That meant that we did it 10 times. However, all were having fun and participating and speaking directions in English. Angela was smiling. She got to do it first. :-)
I took time after class to speak to my teaching partner at what a wonderful thing that she had done. I thought that she had planned it out that way as she was lead teacher for that part of our lesson time. However, it was then that we both fully recognized the intervention of Almighty God in answering prayer as she stated that she did not have it planned and God just took over to have those words come out. Isn't He amazing. We both celebrated and thanked Him for this answer and His wisdom. We even got to publicly announce His praise for this before our English department group and all staff at a fellowship meeting. To Him Be the Glory. He does amazing things when we ask with a proper motive within His will. He does amazing things when we step back, get out of the way, and let Him take the lead. We asked, we received, and our joy was indeed full.
Father, may You continue to show me how to rely on Your strength, Your wisdom, and the filling our Your Spirit for the tasks You give me. It's not about me, it is all about You. Help me to keep You as the center of it all which in this human heart is easier said than done for me to remember.
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