It was 3:30 am and the last four hours had seemed an eternity as she slipped in and out of consciousness. When the plane finally landed in Israel, the feeling of victory that swelled in her heart was indescribable as she praised God for His unfailing faithfulness.

“I am sending you to My people, Israel.”

He had said. And in Israel she now was. There was still customs to get through, the shuttle to find, the hotel to locate, and then the question of what to do for the remainder of the morning, but none of that was as important as the fact that she had seen the fulfillment of God’s promise in her life in such a real and tangible way. 

Just three weeks previous she was trusting that God would prove Himself faithful, but there were still those little voices that whispered, “you heard wrong, that’s why He isn’t providing,” “you’re not doing enough,” and “what if He doesn’t send the money?” Although she believed with her heart that God would be faithful, she battled in her head that her empty bank account wasn’t the ultimate reality; faith was. Every time lies would weasel their way into her mind she would go back to the Word He had given her and remind herself that God is true to His Word. He said He was sending her, so all she had to do was continue to ask in faith according to His will, and she would be able to say “not one word failed of all the good promises that the Lord made to [her], all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45).
She thought back on it now, as she stepped off of the plane. She reflected on the past three weeks and how He had provided for her every need. As she had prayed for provision, money had started to pour in from various sources without her having to personally apply to anyone for money. She simply presented her needs to her Father and waited for the answer. There was a $500 check here, a $250 check there, an anonymous payment of $1,000 paid to her school account, an additional $1,000 love offering to cover her tuition, and countless other little proofs of God’s faithfulness. All she did was share with people the story of God’s promise and how He was using the situation to grow her faith, and He prompted people to be a part of that lesson. It wasn’t chance or coincidence, it was the power of the Holy Spirit that moved in obedient hearts and supplied for all of her needs through the generosity of His people. She shared a private smile with her Father as she walked down the hall toward customs. So many strongholds had been broken down in her life, so many doubts quenched as God showed up and showed off.

***

She had been in Israel for six days now. Six tiring and beautiful days. As she settled into the routine of life in the Holy Land, she found such joy in the mundane. Jet lag was taking its toll on her, but in the most beautiful way; she couldn’t sleep past 4:50 am so she didn’t try, and though she was up until 11:30 pm or even 12 am, she found the most peaceful satisfaction in rising early and meeting with her Lord in the dark hours of morning before anyone else was yet awake. It was already such a sweet season and she relished every moment.

She hadn’t planned on becoming the dorm steward, but God had thrust the responsibility on her shoulders and she knew that she would need His strength in order to rise to the challenge; He had prepared her for this and she was confident in His ability to lead through her. In the close living quarters she found many opportunities to serve her brothers and sisters, but even more than that, God gave her a burden to pray for them. They were each going through their own valleys and deserts; they were all learning to draw near to the Lord and were experiencing the struggles that accompany that; they all needed her prayers and she was learning that the greatest responsibility she had as a leader was to pray for those she was leading and to draw near to the Lord herself.  

He was teaching her to rely on Him for the love that only He provides because she was tired and worn, but He was loving them through her. She didn’t have the ability to be gentle, kind, and intentional with such little rest, and she knew that it was the time she spent in His presence that enabled her to do just that. She wasn’t short of temper, she wasn’t annoyed by personality differences, she wasn’t frustrated with having to clean up other people’s messes. She was simply resting at Jesus’ feet and seeing Him live and work through her. She still wrestled with her flesh and had to take her thoughts captive, but she saw victory in those areas and less of a struggle because she was feeding her spirit.   

Looking ahead, she knows that it will be a season of great difficulty and even greater growth. Learning to be the servant of all, humbly exalting others before herself is already a theme that is starting to arise and her prayer is that God would give her wisdom, humility, and love so that she can be and become all that she needs to be and become. 
She prays that her life might be a testament to what her God can do through a vulnerable servant. Though she is prone to selfishness and pride, she seeks to embody Jesus’ selfless humility and dependence upon the Father so that while she walks in the land where He lived and died, she might walk in His footsteps and in the power of His grace. Her prayer is that she might fade into the background that Jesus might shine through her, that she might spend more time in His Word learning from His gentle and lowly spirit, and that her heart might beat in rhythm with His. 

It is quiet in the dorms and she sits alone, but not by herself for she knows that He is with her and she is reminded of what Elizabeth said to Mary when she believed in what the angel Gabriel told her about conceiving a child, “Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45
She smiles within herself as she thinks about the last few months of her life. How true that is and how faithful her God is; with Mary she can say, my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant (Luke 1:46-47) and with the people of Israel she can testify that not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to her failed, all came to pass (Joshua 21:45).