RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

It was the day the rain didn’t stop. I’ve preached outdoor crusades around the world. In those meetings, one of the great battles I face is weather conditions. On numerous occasions, God has stopped the rain so that men and women could hear the gospel and come to Christ. But on this day in Uganda, God chose not to stop the rain.
The day began on a somber note. As we rode through the city we saw an accident. A man lay dead on the side of the road. After reaching the site for the meetings, there came a downpour. We had to wait for the rain to stop. So we went to the post office to place a telephone call to the United States. News from the States was even more sobering. Karen Todd, a dear friend of ours, had died.
After receiving the news about Karen, I walked out on the porch of the post office and watched the torrential rainstorm. It seemed to typify my experience. In the previous year, the wives of three of my best friends had died. Sherry Akins, the wife of missionary Wade Akins, had died one year earlier. While I was on a trip to Cuba the previous November, Natasha Daniella died. Her husband, Vladimir, was a close friend from Moldova. He had traveled and interpreted for me in the Soviet Union. And now Karen had gone into the presence of the Lord.
As I watched the rainstorm, I wondered when it would end. By this time, it was one hour past the scheduled beginning of our evangelistic meetings. After another hour, the weather began to clear. I had thought we had missed an opportunity to preach the gospel.
But that day the Ugandans taught me a great lesson. After the storm had completely passed, they slowly made their way to the preaching field. I preached — and many came to Christ. The Ugandans knew the storm wouldn’t last. It was only temporary. The gospel went forward.
Similarly, my friends have continued to go through great storms. But I learned this one lesson in Africa: The storms will pass. The sun will shine once again. And the Kingdom of God will continue to be built. Storms of life are only temporary. The Kingdom of God is eternal. That gives me great hope and peace.