By Lee Lockwood
Lee is the president of the Student Missions Fellowship at Toccoa Falls College, north of Atlanta in Georgia.
If you enjoy keeping up with space exploration like me, then you probably saw on the news or heard about January’s mission to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Once the craft began its descent into the Titan atmosphere, winds raged in excess of 300 mph and temperatures of minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Not long after landing, the Titan craft began to send back pictures of a barren land, cold and hostile. The three agencies that spent so much of their resources and time to ensure a successful mission were elated (and reasonably so).
However, they found a place that has no promise of sustaining human life—only another testament of the awesomeness of the universe made by the hands of Father, and a reminder of how valuable the life is that we have been given on this earth.
Titan also serves as a reminder of those places in our own earth that are not necessarily physically barren, but spiritually barren.
As I think of those places in the world like the “The Last Frontier” or the 10/40 Window—places that have little or no access to the gospel, I think of the condition of their souls, void of life by the Spirit, and destitute without the knowledge of Jesus Christ. They are much like the surface of Titan—cold and dark.
But there is hope. I believe we are living in a time of human civilization like never before as we draw closer to the return of Christ our lost world is being opened up to receive the Gospel.
Father is calling forth laborers for the harvest field to be message bearers in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). But will He find us faithful?
An expression used quite often, but most certainly rings true is, “God does not look for our abilities, He looks for our availability.” Only in Christ and His strength can we accomplish what He has called us forth to do.
Moses is a good example of this, a man with little confidence to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Yet he obeyed despite his lack of abilities, and God used him in His global purpose to do this very thing.
When we sense God speaking to us, as Moses did at burning bush, will we base our obedience on our own abilities, or on God’s call, trusting in Him to do it? Will we rely not on our own strength, but in His?
When we as message bearers feel discouraged because of little encouragement from those around us, will we base our confidence in our emotions or in the One who called us?
God is doing something in our generation, fulfilling His global purpose for all nations to know the truth, and to set the captives free.
Will you and I be found faithful? Continue to pray, brothers and sisters, and find where Father would have you serve in His global purpose of His name being made known among the nations. And remember, as Jesus tells his followers in Luke 10:2,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Let us get to work!
