Going for His Glory

Two new workers heading to the Middle East share why going to serve in difficult and dangerous places is worth it.

In the beginning God spoke and creation was born. At the end He speaks again and says,

Behold, I am making all things new. … It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:5b–7 ESV)

And in the in-between?

Well, that’s the story of God reclaiming His rightful worship.

Many have asked us recently, “Why?” Why quit our jobs, sell everything we own, take our family (including our 10-month-old son), move across the ocean to live in a country that's hot and dusty, learn a language we currently do not understand at all, acclimate to a culture not our own and stay there until God's says, "Move"? It sounds crazy, doesn’t it. Intimidating? Overwhelming? Absolutely.

And though it seems counterintuitive, the main answer to the why is not the people. We are compelled by God’s glory. It's what He has asked us to do. But this isn't the first time in history He's made such requests. The Bible is full of stories of how He asked people to do these types of things and even crazier things than this because it's all part of the story he's writing.

Let’s pause and remember the end of this story and the vision of the throne room floor.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:9–12 ESV)

We are given a picture of worship—when all worship finally coalesces into the One most worthy of it.

But right now this worship is being stolen from Him. Right now His name is not proclaimed throughout the earth. Right now, there are so many who don’t know the One they are supposed to be worshiping. Not only do they not know Him, but so many don’t even know somebody who could tell them.

This is the great calamity of the universe. The greatest tragedy ever written. This is the injustice that creation cries out against: that the Creator of it all does not receive the worship due Him.

Romans 10:14–15a challenges us:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? (ESV)

They can’t worship our Savior if they don’t know Him.

That brings us back to that picture of the throne room—to what this life down here is all culminating toward. And the question is, “What is my life really supposed to be all about?” The answer? To spend it all on mission for God’s glory. To bring Him glory in this life by counting it more important to be a part of His larger story rather than the living for the small story of me.

For us, that looks like following God's leading to the Middle East and spending the time that He gives us there cultivating relationships with people He made, loves and died for. We want to give them a chance to hear the truth of the gospel that can set them free from sin and shame so they can turn around and worship the Author of Life. What a privilege it is to join in on such a mission! It’s such a joy to walk with our King and be a part of this story.

For you? It likely looks different, or perhaps it’s very similar. But while God’s leading may change, the goal should stay the same for us all. We are all called to radically build our lives around worshiping the Creator and calling others to do the same. We are all called to lose our lives in order to find them.

This is just the beginning. We're excited to see how God continues to unfold His Story. Let’s keep running the race together to be counted worthy of the prize set before us.