Expedited
Posted by Dion Todd August 21st, 2022 3,480 Views 0 Comments
Expedited from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
Do you know that story about the footprints in the sand? Where two were walking together and leaving two sets of prints, but when there was only one set, the Lord was carrying them? That is what I want to talk about this morning, the Lord taking care of things we can’t handle.
(Galatians 6:9 NKJV) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
We usually can't see what is happening behind the scenes in the spirit realm around us. It's business as usual, just another day on the calendar. Promises seem delayed, and discouragement begins to creep in. Have you ever felt that way? We may be so close to giving up hope when God is about to open the next door for us.
Typically, the Lord lets us do the work, and He provides whatever we need along the way. Yet, there have been a few times in my life when God stepped in and expedited things that I could not handle. He doesn't always do that, and He certainly doesn't reward sloth or laziness. But He has allowed me to fast-forward or skip some things that would have probably caused me to give up.
The Lord began preparing me for Refreshing Hope Ministries over thirty-five years ago. I like to get things done, and I don't do well with red tape and drama. I find it frustrating to need to do something, know how to do it, and have the resources, but to be held up by paperwork. I tend to focus on something I can do instead. Here are a couple of times when the Lord expedited me through that red tape.
When I was 16, my dad was running crown molding around the top of a building when he had a serious fall off a three-tiered scaffold and landed on a concrete pool deck. He was broken up pretty badly and out of work for over a year. I dropped out of school, began working as a construction laborer, and by the age of 17, was married.
I loved the Word of God, and the Lord had given me a desire to attend Bible college, but I hadn't finished high school. It had taken my older brother a year to get through courses at night and get his diploma. That seemed a daunting task filled with red tape and drama, so I just put it off. One Sunday night, while at church, the pastor's wife came to my seat and told me, "Dion, the Lord wants you to get your GED." I could feel the Lord speaking through her, so I told her I would look into it.
On Monday, I went to the adult education center in Conway, SC, to see what it would take, and though the parking lot was full, there was an open spot near the front door. I went inside and explained that I had dropped out of school when I was young but wanted to get my GED.
They told me I would need to take a placement test to find the subjects I needed to improve on. Then they would help me find the right books and schedule me for some night classes. The best-case scenario was six months to one year to get my GED.
On Tuesday morning, I went back and took the test. I prayed all the way there, and there was a parking spot open by the front door again. The answers to the test came easily, and I breezed right through it.
On Wednesday morning, I returned to review my test results and get my books and schedule for the upcoming classes. My parking spot was open by the front door. I went inside, and the staff was gathered around a desk, looking at some papers.
When I entered the room, one said, "There he is!" They called me over and asked how long I had been studying. I told them I had decided to start on Sunday evening. They said I had aced their placement test and was ready to take the GED exam. I needed a 70 to pass and had scored a 97.
One of them said, "It's a shame you didn't come earlier because you have to sign up a month in advance to take the next test. The GED exam is only given in this area every six months, and it's happening this Saturday!" Then she said, let me call them. She dialed them up, found they had an open seat, faxed them over my test scores, and got me signed up to take the exam on Saturday. She was so happy that she hugged me.
I drove to Georgetown, SC, on Saturday morning to take the GED examination. I prayed all the way there, and a parking spot was open near the front door. The exam took about eight hours, subject after subject. If a question was difficult, I prayed about it for a moment and answered the best I could. Got it right! I was one of the first to finish, and when I returned to church on Sunday, I had my GED.
In one week, the Lord had expedited what had taken my brother one year. He had fast-forwarded something I dreaded and opened the way for me to attend Bible college.
Many years passed, and I eventually found myself working as a pastor at a local ministry. Sylvia and I fasted the month of August that year, and near the end of the month, we were both laid off. It was a bit of a shock, as we knew the Lord had put us there. Now we were both in our 40s and out of work simultaneously.
We learned of our unemployment on a Friday afternoon, and we prayed together: "Lord, what do you want us to do now?" We had no idea what to do. I had started writing a devotional, and we felt we should continue that, but how? We prayed some more on Saturday, and Sylvia heard "Refreshing Hope."
Our brains started spinning with ideas. The domain name was available, and we knew how to build websites. But we would need to register as a non-profit, and that red tape was the worst. I had heard horror stories from others where it took nearly a year to get approved. It was discouraging. Too much for a simple person like me to think about.
We discussed it on our way to church that Sunday morning and didn't know what to do with our idea. When we got there, the pastor met us at the door, and he was a good friend who knew what we were going through. He asked what we planned to do, and we told him about our idea of an online church. He said, well, you will need to be able to take donations to support it, and to do that, you will need to file to become a 501c3 non-profit organization. I can help you with that!
When Monday morning arrived, Sylvia and I began working on Refreshing Hope Ministries. We had started the weekend unemployed and came out of it with a new ministry. A week later, because of the pastor's help, we were registered as a non-profit ministry. The Lord expedited us through the red tape and drama. This month marks my 10th anniversary as a pastor.
(Psalm 37:4–5 NKJV) Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
You don't have to know where this is going. You only need to align with what He is doing today. He has a plan, and a purpose for you, just as He has for me. He can even fast-forward you through some of the more dreadful parts.
(Romans 8:28 NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
You can pray this with me if you like:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me align with what You are doing today. I want more of You in my life. Speak to me in a way that I understand and help me clearly see Your will for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!