A
testimony from Timothy
still recovering from Malaria -- March 2009
just prior to the trip into unreached tribes in the northern region
Hello all!
Just wanted to update the saints concerning our trip! God willing we
will head out early tomorrow morning. We plan on staying one night
just north of Kumasi, and then continuing the next day to Bole.
(Which is just north of Wa, in the upper western region of Ghana for
you eager young geography students!!) We pray God will guide us,
hopefully making contact with an un-reached tribe--or two! We will
be taking brother 2ndJohn with us, the one who just completed the
previous discipleship program. We hope to spend a few days at least
and then head back the middle of next week--assuming we don't have a
"Lucas automobile adventure." Your prayers are so much appreciated!
Yes, and concerning my malaria!
I won't be able to go into great detail right now. But I
feel led of the Lord so I'll just give brief testimony of the great
things my Father has done while i have been down and God willing
there will more amplification upon my return. Suffice it to
say, and as strange as this may sound: This sickness has been a joy
to my soul!
But first, a little history! The last few weeks, perhaps months, I
have been praying much about the life of Christ, the fruit of the
Spirit etc. To be quite frank, I have been seeing something amiss,
something lacking in my life.
At the end of every day our Lord and Saviour could humbly say,
"Today I did not do my own will, but only the will of my Father!" A
variation of that phrase is replete in the Gospels, giving testimony
to the awesome humility of Christ!
It's so easy for us to toss around words and promises that we do not
comprehend!
Well, I profess to have the Life of Christ living in me. Perhaps a
very ordinary claim on the surface, but if we only could grasp the
depth!!
I received by nature, pride. But praise be to God, absolute humility
from the nature Christ!
The Lord reminded me not to long ago: it wasn't necessarily adultery
and theft and murder he commanded us to repent from, those are just
the fruits.. Pride is the root from which everything contrary to the
will of God springs from. I knew all this as theory in my mind, but
had yet to work it out into experiential reality. And boy oh boy
more than ever do i want the reality of the life of Christ! I have
life, but could I honestly say I have the abundant life of Christ?
Joy, but joy unspeakable? Peace, but peace like a river? How that
ever became a children's song i don't know--what a convicting song!!
Well after much prayer the Lord began to reveal to me my pride and
self-centeredness--the enemy to the life of Christ. I don't want to
be a hypocrite, I want the Life of Christ living in and through me
24/7. I want to know Jesus, and him crucified--but also, Jesus in
the power of his resurrection! And thanks be to God, he is able and
he will finish the work he has started!!
Such were my thoughts and prayers when I came down with Malaria last
week.
Surly the Lord doesn't expect me to be Joyful and Loving when I have
a temp of 104, it's painful to take a deep breath, its 90 degrees
outside but my teeth are still chattering, and my body feels like it
was run over by a small truck!! ...ok maybe a slight exaggeration ;)
But sure enough, He does expect it because it's all found in Christ.
I was forced to ask myself: is He living in me only in health or
also in sickness and suffering?! I am so encouraged by the example
of Jesus while he was on the cross. Such love and compassion on so
undeserving a people while they subjected him to such inhumane
torture.
Well that same life is in me, HALLELUJAH!! Even though this malaria
doesn't even compare in the slightest to the cross, I can have the
same attitude when I go through suffering because of Him!
The Lords work in us is not daunted by sickness or suffering, they
are his tools! These last few days I have been allowed such
refreshing fellowship in the presence of the Lord I would gladly
continue on! It seems times of prayer and bible reading are so much
richer during time of hardness. The moments when it's the most
painful and trying, it seems he is the closest.
Now please don't get me wrong: I am so very grateful to God for all
your prayers and concern for my health! It so blessed my heart to
hear the fellowship was lifting me up in prayer on sunday and the
following days. I would humbly ask everyone to pray the Lord would
finish the work he has started, and would accomplish his purposes in
my life--not to just throw out the malaria straightaway! Does that
make sense? I almost feel guilty saying all this after the earnest
prayers of so many! But the Lord has had a wonderful blessing for me
in this sickness, i don't want to miss it;) So I share all this so
that we can pray along with the will of the Lord and not against the
Spirit. I think you'll understand: of course I want to be healed,
but not a minute before the Lord is finished with his work.
As of right now: I still am a bit achy with sore throat. However,
the brunt of the malaria is passed, and torrid fevers are going
away! What a mighty God we serve! Amen!
Well we leave in 4 hours so I will go get some rest!!
Once again I thank each one for all the many prayers on my behalf, I
am so blessed!
Much love--timo
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