RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
In November 2000, God opened the doors for me to proclaim the gospel of Christ throughout Egypt. It was one of the greatest ministry opportunities I’ve ever been granted. Excitement filled my heart as we prayed and prepared for the meetings. There was a deep sense that God would do something wonderful in Egypt.
Just a few months prior to the meetings in Egypt, I was scheduled to attend Billy Graham’s congress on evangelism held in Amsterdam. More than 10,000 pastors, evangelists, and church leaders were expected for the congress. The international delegates would fill hotels throughout the city.
The first day of the congress, my wife and I were sitting on a bus, waiting to be transported to our hotel. Two Egyptian leaders boarded the bus and sat right in front of us. I couldn’t believe it. They were coordinating our meetings in Egypt, and we were on the same bus, headed to the same hotel. It was obviously a divine appointment.
We spent the next few nights talking and making plans for the evangelistic efforts in Egypt. Our hearts were on fire with a vision to reach all of Egypt with the message of God’s love found in Christ. But every time they suggested some new avenue of reaching people, it came with a price tag. In simple terms, that meant we needed thousands of additional dollars. There was only one problem: we didn’t have any more money.
I had to make a decision. Should I tell the Egyptian brothers we couldn’t do what we were dreaming — or should I step out in faith and trust God to provide the money? After much thought and prayer, I determined that God had given us this opportunity. He had put us together in that hotel. It was His dream, not ours. I concluded we could trust Him to provide the money.
When I came back to my office, I shared the new commitments I’d made to the Egyptian leaders. As I shared with our team, I found myself struggling with my decision. I knew that it was impossible for me to come up with such a large amount in such a short time.
But that was exactly the position where God wanted me. He wanted me to abide in a position of absolute helplessness. He would do what I was totally incapable of. He would call me to do something — then show me I had no ability to accomplish that. I would come to know Him as Jehovah Jireh — God, my provider. Less than a month before our travel to Egypt, God provided the money we needed in a completely unexpected manner. It resulted in His kingdom coming and His will being done in Egyptian lives. Many thousands of Egyptians invited Christ to be their Savior and Lord.
Thousands of years ago, God first revealed Himself as Jehovah Jireh. He made himself known to Abraham as God, his provider. When Abraham was 99 years old, God told Abraham that He would give him a son. God was true to his promise. God provided a child to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. But God wanted Abraham to know Him even more intimately. So He tested Abraham. God told him to sacrifice the son he loved so greatly. One can feel the pain and confusion Abraham must have experienced. His heart ached, but he was faithful to God. He determined he would use Isaac as a sacrifice.
At just the right moment, God told Abraham No! God provided the sacrifice: a ram. Can you imagine the joy the old man must have felt? I can see him weeping and laughing over God’s provision. God called Abraham to do the impossible: sacrifice his own son. Then God made the provision for the sacrifice. Consequently, the Bible says, “Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh” (Genesis 22:14 kjv).
Has God called you to do the impossible? If so, His call may be deeper than you think. He may be calling you to get to know Him — as Jehovah Jireh.