The Wilkes Team

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so (Gen. 1:6-7).

What was the result of God saying, “let there be?” The heavens and the firmament, on day two of creation, were created. What does God have to say about the heavens & the firmament? The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork (Ps. 19:1)

When God says, ‘Let it be,’ and when ‘it is so,’ great glory is given to God! What has God said, “let there be” in your life? Having you resisted letting it be so? If so, we are missing a marvelous opportunity for God to receive great glory.

The four o’clock hour had only just been advanced upon. Several integral members of the Wilkes Team had just returned from a rousing game of tennis with hungry appetites. Mom & her marvelous assistants prepared an extraordinary meal with platters of food resembling a tasty local restaurant we’ve all grown to love. And Grandpa and Grandma blessed us all with their wonderful presence just as we all sat down for dinner. The meal came to a quick close as realization struck of the quickly passing hour.

The occasion for such haste was my pending flight to Portland, Oregon – scheduled to leave at 6:18pm. Final items were thrown into bags, good byes given, and prayers said. Dad, Mom, and I headed off at approximately 5:15pm (notice a problem here ?). My heart began beating extra fast as the horrific thought entered the mind that I may not make it in time – but the couldn’t happen to me! Eternity finally passed when the car came to a stop in front of Dulles Airport. After accidentally approaching the first class/executive counter, we were kindly told our check-in point would be about 20 yards to the left – oh dear. At last, I punched in my e-ticket confirmation number only to receive the horrifying message that I was too late. The attendant behind the counter said 45 minutes before departure was the latest anyone was allowed to check in. Nevertheless, the excitement wasn’t over. For when I inquired on rescheduling another flight, the gentleman said most flights to Portland were booked through the end of August – oh no! The mercies of God were such however that a seat was found on a plane the very next morning with a 6:01am departure time. I was also graciously forgiven by my dear hosts in Oregon.

What happened? My lack of character (tardiness) had resulted in this dilemma. But then I had a very important decision to make – would I submit to what God had willed there to be and let it be so in my life (Gen. 1:6-7)? After all, he could of allowed me to catch the flight, despite my tardiness.

The alarm went off at 3:45 the next morning. Mom & Sarah ever so graciously & eagerly drove me to the airport at 4:15. Praise the Lord – check in went smoothly, security had no issues, and I arrived at my gate with much time to spare. Boarding the plane which was scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 7:30am, I struck up a conversation with my co-passenger (a resident of Ashburn). For the next 90 minutes, we talked almost non-stop on topics ranging from farming to politics, business to family, and art to Christianity. The opportunity arose to share Christ with her and in the end she ever so graciously said, “I know why you missed your flight.” We both parted immensely encouraged. I believe seeds were planted.

The firmament & heavens show forth God’s glory and make known His handiwork, why? “God said, let there be, and it was so.” In our lives, when we submit to what God allows there to be (even if this is correction), God receives great glory. This was a timely lesson to me, and one I hope never to forget!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 1:33 am and is filed under Ministry Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.