I read this quote the other day in the Missions Mosaic magazine. The quote is from missionary Annie Winslow.
"Why does God keep on giving me a heart for the nations? Because time is running out--their time--time to hear before they die and possibly leave this world without knowing Him. Because time is running out--my time to go and tell others about Jesus is now, while I still have the health, energy, and strength to do so. Because time is running out--Jesus'time--we don't know when Christ will return, and it's my responsibility to go tell the nations about Him, before He does!"
I have often asked myself the same question. Why does God keep on giving me a heart for the nations? I have a desire and love for missions that I cannot explain. But why does God keep giving me this desire? Why does He give me the desire for people to hear the truth about Jesus while at the same time I struggle with talking to people?
I love for people to hear about Jesus. I love for people, especially those from nations around the world, to find salvation and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. But when it comes to me opening my mouth, it feels like I have a 100 pound lock holding my mouth shut. It isn't that I don't know the Gospel or how to explain it. If someone came up to me and asked me to share the Gospel with them, I could do it. But no one asks me that. Instead, I fumble around in conversation, not knowing what to say or what to ask. I'm not very good at keeping a conversation going. I have trouble getting the conversation to spiritual things. Once the conversation gets there, I can talk about God. I can share the Gospel. But there are so many times that we have to direct the conversation toward God. People who don't know God or don't know anything about Him are not likely to start talking about Him on their own.
So why is it that I, with my trouble in talking, have such a desire for missions? Annie Winslow gives lots of good reasons why God gives me a heart for the nations. And I think they all apply to me and to you as well. They are universal reasons that apply to all of us. But I have also wondered if God has given me a heart for the nations so that He might display His glory and His strength in me. Because talking is certainly not my strength. But when I am weak, He is strong. My weakness is where He so greatly displays His strength. And when He does work in me, giving me the words to say, I can give Him all the credit without any hesitation...because I KNOW it wasn't because of my ability.
I am even amazed to see how God has worked through me in the past year in sharing the Gospel with others. Just in the last few months, I have had two friends from other nations who have accepted Christ as their Savior. Although I was not with them when they made the decision to follow Christ, I did have many opportunities to share the Gospel with them and explain who Jesus is and what He does in our lives. I know that I was a part of planting and watering in their lives. And God has brought the harvest.
Whatever the reason God has given me a heart for the nations, I'm very glad that He has done so.
