God is Working

“So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”

1 Corinthians 3:7

In the middle of the battle it can be hard to see the progress that you have made. You can feel like you are losing and that everything you are doing is pointless. Will you ever see victory? Or have you fought in vain?

I will be honest. Week after week of outreaches and talking to so many people I began to wonder if what we were doing was even making a difference. I was starting to get so discouraged and then it was announced that we would be doing an outreach at night. My first thought was, “Who in the world is going to want to stop and listen to the gospel on Saturday night in a tourist city? They are just going to walk by and go to the clubs and restaurants and ignore us.” But being the good missionary I am I began to help get everything ready for this outreach. Outwardly it looked like I was totally into what was going on but inwardly doubt had taken over.

So we get to arch street and set everything up. And before we had even started a group had started to form. Then we went on to perform two worship songs, did drama and then shared the gospel and our testimonies. But even though people stayed the entire time I was still captured by doubt. So I watched as people began talking to people after the message and I saw a little girl holding a baby. I just couldn’t help myself I had to go over. We began talking just about life and after a while she looked at me and asked, “Are you Christian?”

My heart sank. I just knew that she was probably Catholic and as soon as I said I was Christian all relationship would be lost. But I responded in the affirmative and asked if she was Catholic.

“No, I am Christian too! I used to be Catholic but one day in the bus a lady sat next to me and started to tell me about Jesus. She was Christian. Then a week later I was in the park and another Christian came up to me and started to talk to me about the difference between Christians and Catholics. So I decided to ask Jesus in my heart. And now here you guys are a week later.”

I was floored. God in that moment spoke to me so clearly. It was Him doing the work and it is not dependent on me. It is in His hands. That woman on the bus has no idea that the words she spoke planted seeds in that girl’s heart. The person in the park has no idea that this little girl actually meant the prayer and that God would send other people into her life. What we see is so very little of what God is doing. So don’t lose heart in the battle because He has already won.