What is your Africa?

Recently I was having a discussion about a ministry opportunity I feel called to participate in. It is an area that our Church is lacking and as we talked I commented that I had been interested in this for several years and that I had been seriously looking at materials, talking it up, having specific people pray about it and was trying to determine if I was the person who was supposed to start this ministry. The person I was talking to commented that if it had been on my heart that long, I was probably supposed to do it. He further commented that God often takes us out of our comfort zones when he calls us to something and that it looks like that was what he was doing in my life. I thought hmmmm.

Then yesterday I was having a discussion with a co-worker about doing God’s will or specific things God had told me/her/us to do. Her comment was I have been praying recently that “God would not send me to Africa,” that she was comfortable where she was, with her friends, her home, etc. This made me ask her, “What is your Africa?” What has God called you to do that you don’t want to do or where is it that you are afraid God will send you?

That made me think of the story about the boy praying “Lord I’ll do whatever you want, but please don’t send me to Africa.” Found a poem based on this-this is the last stanza.

Just don’t send me to Africa Lord…

Oh Lord?... why don’t You ever use me?

...You know I would do anything for You

…Just don’t change me Lord…

How like us. We beg God to use us, but we put restrictions on what he can do. Then we fuss that he hasn’t used us. We beg him not to send us to Africa, we beg him not to make us get out of our comfort zone. But if we are comfortable doing something, we probably don’t need to rely on God to make it happen. If we don’t need to rely on God, then who is going to get the glory? If it’s not God then why should he bless it? So as much as most of us hate it our “Africa” is not going to be within our comfort zone, it’s going to be within Gods.

So the real question is “What is your Africa?” What is it God is calling you to do that is outside your comfort zone? What does he want you to do? Where does he want you to go? Are you willing to be obedient to God’s calling?

See you in Africa!