Under God's Hand

We serve a loving and faithful God, who sent His only Son to give His life so that we might experience His life and know His faithfulness. In Deuteronomy chapter 7, we can find these words:
6 "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments...

While that was a declaration to the children of Israel, we also recognize that we, as those who have been saved by Jesus, are now part of God's family - we are described in 1st Peter chapter 2 as a "chosen" generation, a holy people. We can press into Jesus and know His love and faithfulness and we can reflect on how we have seen Him move in our lives in the past, which can give us confidence in God's hand for the here and now, as well as the future. 

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We can rejoice in the faithfulness of God, as we reflect on times in our lives in which we have experienced His presence with us. 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 says this:
3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.
5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

According to his parents, a Dutch man named Dirk had wanted to become a missionary to the Ivory Coast since the age of six, but according to a God Reports article:

As he forgot about his childhood ambition to preach in the world, he also distanced himself from the God he never got to know in the mainstream church.

By age 13, he was taking ecstasy at parties, enjoying the recreational use of drugs.

But when he observed 40-year-old loners at these parties, Dirk came to the sobering realization that he very well might turn out like one of them, a loser.

That’s when he asked God for a sign. He wanted to get out of the party life, which appealed deeply to his primal instincts.

God sent a group of Christians to invite him to church - he recognized that as the sign he was seeking. He gave his heart to Jesus.  While working at an IT company, he was offered an opportunity to become a missionary in Africa, in the Ivory Coast.

That's the vehicle God used to bring Dirk van Rijn to Africa, into a country besieged by civil war.  After the war ended, according to the story, the country was ravaged by people from other countries who had fought in the war who wanted to be paid.  The article states:

The mercenaries took to the streets and collected what the government owed them with a reign of terror exercised on the populace. The transition from militia to roadside thieves and kidnappers was regrettably smooth.

But, Dirk was sure he was where he belonged, stating: “I was really sure about God’s will...That’s the only reason I didn’t fear.”

He was pulled over by a group of mercenaries one night - they demanded that he take them to an isolated area.  Dirk thought that his life was over. He engaged them in conversation and told them he was a Christian pastor - when they reached the destination, these mercenaries thanked him for the ride and they took a photo together. 

He reunited with them about a month later when a group came to the church and tried to force Dirk to pay the church's rent money to them, rather than the owner.  He refused, a fight ensued, and Dirk was assisted by people whom he had discipled.  But, the unruly group promised to return - the next day, on Sunday.

Even though Dirk was apprehensive about what might occur, he went to the church.  The God Reports story states:

Who rolled up? His mercenary captors with whom he shared the recent photo.

“They started talking to me. They had a flier and knew where we were at,” Dirk says. “We were just chatting in the morning.”

Just 15 minutes later, the rowdies pulled up on the street. They had Uzi-type weapons.

But when the rowdies recognized the mercenaries, they balked.

Ten yards away, they pulled a U-turn and drove away. God’s shield protected him once again!

Dirk later went to China as a missionary under a teaching visa - after four turbulent years, he was banned from the country for five years. As of the time of the article, he was continuing to pastor - in Leeuwarden, Holland.

Dirk van Rijn had a childhood dream that the enemy can to steal away from Him. But, Dirk experienced the hand of God on His life.  Knowing and reflecting on the presence of the Lord who has sustained us can help us navigate present and future circumstances.

I think it can be helpful and extremely gratifying to look back at how God has sustained us in our lives - perhaps through a time of personal tragedy, or even in one of "those" situations in which you realize that He actually kept you out of an accident or a situation much worse than what occurred.  Even in our suffering, we can be reminded that we are not forgotten, if we have believed on Jesus. We must continue to trust God, even when it doesn't seem like He's paying attention - He is, He loves you, and He desires the best for you for His glory.