Knowing Your God

Asuke in the fall

Before our first term in Japan, I was at a ladies’ retreat where the speaker, Mardi Collier, shared her testimony and talked about a study that changed her life. It is now out in book form.  In What Do I Know About My God? Mardi talks about what a difference it made in her life when she began applying truths about God to her circumstances. She started a simple study in which she wrote a truth about God in sentence form at the top of a page. Then as she was reading her Bible and she came across a verse that taught that truth, she wrote it on the page. She placed the pages in a notebook in alphabetical order. When difficulties came and she needed to know something about God, she would turn to her notebook and read the verses she had written out.  This study has changed my daily Bible reading and has proved to be very helpful when facing different circumstances in life over the years.  As a result, it has been my desire to see the ladies in Japan begin this study and to learn to know God on a more personal level.  With Mardi Collier’s permission, we translated her outline into Japanese and some of the ladies have begun to make their own notebooks.  It is so exciting to see them doing this.  We have ladies from several countries in our church. These ladies take the studies they are working on and share them with their family and friends back in their own countries.  

We encourage the ladies to apply these truths to their daily life.  It is so exciting to see God involved in our everyday life.  One truth that I see in my life daily is that My God gives grace to me.  This is a particular help as I live daily in a culture and communicate in a language that I don’t often understand.  2 Corinthians 12:9,10, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”  One of the ways God gives grace is to help you laugh at your mistakes.  We had a mission team from a Christian university come a few of years ago.  One of the members was a Japanese man who was a graduate student at BJU at the time.  We took the team out for sushi.  It was one of the places where the plates rotate around and you grab the plate you want or you can special order.  We had given the team members a price limit so that things wouldn’t get too expensive.  This man was sitting at the end of my table, so he had to point and ask for what he wanted.  He pointed to a plate and said, “ikura.”  Ikura has several meanings, one of which is “how much” so I replied, “100 yen.”  He said, “No, no,” pointed again and said, “Ikura.”  I replied “100 yen.”  Whatever he was pointing at was gone by now.  He then pointed at another plate and said, “Hamachi.”  I thought he was saying “how much” with an accent so I replied, “100 yen” rather emphatically.  He then laughed out loud which is unusual for a Japanese.  He was asking for “Ikura” or salmon eggs and “Hamachi” which is a type of fish.  Everyone, including myself, had a good laugh over that one! 

We have faced many trials in Japan in recent years.  There have been trials and changes in the ministry.  There have been disasters such as the tsunami, earthquakes, a volcano eruption, floods and now back to back typhoons.  It is part of the human nature to worry or be anxious during these times, but My God doesn’t want me to be anxious.  Psalm 94:19, “In the multitude of my thoughts [or anxieties] within me thy comforts delight my soul.”  Luke 10:41-42, “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, [I can personalize this and say…Kim, Kim…] thou art careful and troubled about many things:  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Part of the culture in Japan is a group mentality.  They frown on thinking outside the box.  You have to be part of a group to be accepted and be given an opportunity to witness for the Lord.  We work hard at every opportunity the Lord gives us to be part of a group.  Recently, I have had opportunities to be part of an International Association in a nearby city.   The Lord has given me opportunities to reach out to some of the ladies in this association.  I teach English, study Japanese and have spoken at one of their international events.  These are wonderful opportunities, but sometimes it is painfully obvious that we are the foreigners.  It is easy to feel lonely, forgotten or forsaken.   My God has not forgotten me.  Isaiah 49:15, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”  My God does not forsake me.  Deuteronomy 4:31, “(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee,”  These are truths that I have been able to share with some of the foreign women in our ministry.  One lady is from a nearby Asian country.  She was first exposed to Christianity in Dubai while working there.  My heart was challenged as she told us of meeting for church in the desert, because it was too hot and out of the way for the police to investigate there.  She is married to an unsaved Japanese man.  She is often discriminated against.  It is a comfort to her to know that God is with her, hasn’t forgotten her and does not forsake her.

Today I would like to leave you with the fact that My God is good.  Psalm 31:19, “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!”  Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”  Psalm 107:1, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”  Psalm 107:8, 9, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”  Psalm 119:68, “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.”  This is the truth that I dwell on regularly.  No matter what is going on in my life, God is good.  In the middle of sorrow, surgeries, delayed answer to prayer, loneliness, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, misunderstandings of language and culture…God is good!    

The Lord is good—Tell it wherever you go.

The Lord is good—Tell it that others may know!

Tell of His blessings and tell of His love,

Tell how He’s coming from Heaven above:

The Lord is good—Tell it wherever you go.

~Alfred B. Smith

Calm My Anxious Heart ~ Book Review

Calm My Anxious Heart

(A book review by Kim Melton)

The book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow is a must read.  I do not consider myself to be a book reviewer.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time I wrote a book review.  After reading this book, I feel compelled to recommend it to you. 

I picked up this book because of the title.  What woman doesn’t need to have her anxious heart calmed?  As I began to read, I realized that it had to deal with another issue that I never would have associated with anxiety:  contentment. 

Linda deals with topics such as being content with your circumstances, who you are, your role, and your relationships to name a few.   She points us to the only One who can meet those needs and satisfy our longings.  She draws us in and shows us the One who gives a “peace that passeth all understanding.”

“How does God enable us to be content? He infuses contentment into us through His Word. As it seeps into our minds, it transforms us. Just as a cup of tea gets stronger when we give it time to steep, so we become more content when we spend time in God’s Word and allow it to seep into our lives, transforming us to be like Him.”*  

While all of this is good, there is one element of the book that made me keep turning the pages.  Linda was a missionary wife.  Almost every single illustration in the book is from the perspective of being a missionary.  She served in Hong Kong and Romania. 

She suffered longing, pain, anxiety and fear just like you and me.  She had times when she felt like her family in the USA needed her, but she was so very far away.  She faced the fear of not knowing what might be lurking around the corner as she served in a country where many believers were jailed for what she was doing.  She endured loneliness.  She saw the Lord answer the same prayer for a missionary family one way and for her family in another, perhaps less desirable, way.   She understands our heart, dear missionary lady. 

A study guide accompanies this book to help you spend more time meditating on the truths in each chapter.  At the end, she closes with a personal letter.  I’d like to close this “review” with a paragraph from that letter. 

“When we’ve given all our questions to God, when we’re not grumbling about the past or anxious about the future, when our tomorrows are in His keeping, we are free to wake up every morning and say, ‘God, You’ve given me today as a  gift. Show me how to glorify You in it.’”*

~~~~~

*Dillow, Linda (2007-06-15). Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment (TH1NK Reference Collection).  NAVPress - A. Kindle Edition.

Abundant Life or a Slow Death

“All I want in life is such circumstances

as may best enable me to serve thee in the world;

To this end I leave all my concerns in thy hand,

but let me not be discouraged,

for this hinders my spiritual fervency;

Enable me to undertake some task for thee,

for this refreshes and animates my soul,

so that I could endure all hardships and labours,

and willingly suffer for thy name.

But, O what a death it is to strive and labour,

to be always in a hurry and yet do nothing!”

~Valley of Vision, pg. 176

What do you do when you are in those spiritually dry times?  What do you do when you feel like you are really struggling to keep your head above water both spiritually and physically?  I have a few plan of attacks that I use during those times.  I have to confess that recently I have been struggling in my prayer life.  Not that I am not praying.  I just wonder if it is doing any good or if God is actually listened.  I know I am not the only one.  

I was reading something that a lady in leadership wrote about these kind of times.  She mentioned that she likes to pray through the Puritans’ prayers in Valley of Vision.  Years ago, I did this very thing, but then the book was put on the shelf and I forgot about it.  I immediately went to find it, dusted it off and started praying through it.  

And so today, I came to the prayer that an excerpt is from at the beginning of this post.  Sometimes, one of these prayers stops me in the my tracks.  It causes me to ponder, wonder and confess.  It feeds my soul and makes me long for more of God.

There are circumstances in my life that made this jump off the page.  Church problems, language difficulties, the busyness of preparing for our upcoming furlough among other trials.  The Lord knew all of this when He arranged the timing of when I would come to this prayer.  

If I genuinely want to serve the Lord, then I must believe that the circumstances I am in are the best for me to serve in at this time.  This leads me to leave all of my concerns or worries in His capable hands.  

David encouraged his heart in the Lord.  (I Samuel 30:6)  I must also do this if I do not want to be hindered in my spiritual fervency or my service.  When I do this, my service for the Lord will be with a refreshed heart and I will have a new fervor in my soul.  This leads to being able to endure whatever hardships the Lord allows while doing this service . 

This leads to the last statement quoted “But, O what a death it is to strive and labour, “to be always in a hurry and yet do nothing!”  I heard recently that the new “fine” is “busy.”  You know.  Someone asks, “How are you today?” and you respond, “Busy!”  I can’t tell you how many times, I have done this.  It implies that we are always in a hurry.  We have to get to the next task pronto.  If we don’t, it might not get done or at least be done on time.  So we spend our days in a hurry, running from task to task.  At the end of the day, we feel as if we have accomplished nothing.  Ever been there?  

As I thought about this, I was reminded of John 15:5.  “I am the vine, ye are the branches:  He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:  for without me, ye can do nothing.”  Often when we are rushing around, doing much to serve God, He is far from our thoughts until we hit a brick wall and don’t know how to handle something.  Then we cry out for help.  

So today, I confessed that I don’t want to strive, labour and always be in a hurry doing nothing.  I want to do only the things that God has for me for that point in time and do it in His strength while abiding in Him.  Then I can enjoy that abundant life He came to give me, instead of feeling like I am dying a slow death.  

If you’re struggling, I would like to encourage you to read some of the old treasure books written by those who have gone before us.  Valley of Vision will encourage your heart.  You have to read it slowly in order to comprehend what is being said since the language is more formal than the language we use today.  But slowing down is a good thing…

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

~John 10:10

*Kim serves in Japan and posts regularly at Life in the 10/40 Window.

Adjusting to Life on the Mission Field ~ Part 2

For Part 1, click here. 

As I continue to dwell on lessons I’ve learned, there is one I am still learning and that is not to compare myself and my situation with others. 2 Corinthians 10:12 tells me that if I do this, I am not wise! There will be someone who raised support faster, learned the language faster or has a bigger and better house to live in. We prayed for a teacher for our children. God did not see fit to give us one; but yet, I saw Him supply this for another family. Another friend has been on the field less time than I have and she already has the language ability to lead a Bible study. My language study is slow and difficult. At this middle age that I am in, sometimes I feel too old to do it! Someone younger would do a better job! Some missionaries are able to plant a new church every term. In our country of service, it may take the rest of our lives to plant one. We are all different. Every country and language is different. My focus must be on God and His will for me today. I cannot compare myself to others. God has put me where He wants me to be and has given me what I need to accomplish His will (2 Cor. 9:8, Phil. 2:13). 

I remember well when the “culture shock” started to set in. In the USA, we talk about “bad hair days.” Here, we have “bad culture days.” =) On one of these kind of days, I was reading the fruits of the Spirit in my study Bible and the notes that went with them. I realized as I read, that these fruits manifested in my life will take care of any “culture shock.” Longsuffering is “the willingness to accept irritating or painful situations.” Gentleness is “a humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offense, while having no desire for revenge or retribution” (MacArthur Study Bible). When I offend the culture unknowingly, when I am stared at because I am different, when things are done differently than I would do them, when I am mistreated or misunderstood, what fruit do I exhibit? Is it longsuffering and gentleness? The only way I can do this is to be in the Word, walk in the Spirit and have lots of grace from my Lord (2 Cor. 12:9-10). 

In closing, I want to share some practical things that have helped me. 

1. While on deputation, I begged the Lord to give me a verse that would keep me on the field when the going got tough. As we went through the Netcaster program, the Lord began to burn 2 Corinthians 5:15 into my soul, “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” My life is not about me, it is about the One Who died for me! 

2. Several years ago, a friend counseled me to fill my mind with good Scriptural music. I play it in the car, on the subway and while in the house. This has helped me countless times when I couldn’t seem to control my thoughts. One time in particular was after a rough day of language school. I put in my earbuds on the subway and started to listen to the cd A Quiet Heart by Soundforth. One of my favorite songs, “I Could Not Do Without Thee” began. When I arrived at my destination, the frustration and turmoil were gone. God met my need through the music. Another favorite cd is Come and Sing by the Stouffer men. This brought me tremendous comfort during the days before and after our departure for Japan. 

3. Keep a journal of what God is teaching you and the blessings He gives. The entries don’t have to be long. A simple “I was so lonely today and God gave me Matthew 28:20” or “I wanted cheddar cheese and God led me to it and it was on sale!” is enough. When the emotions are threatening to drown you, get out the journal and read. It is hard to remember God’s help in the past when you are overwhelmed. Having something to read will help you to remember and encourage your heart. 

4. And last, but certainly not least, read missionary biographies. Others have gone before us and we can learn from them. The circumstances are different, but the struggles are the same. I have been helped greatly by the writings of Isobel Kuhn. She is very candid about her struggles. My two favorite books of hers are In the Arena and Green Leaf in Drought. 

I hope that you will be helped by these things. It has been worth the time for me to reflect on them. I think that we do others a disservice when we hide behind a mask and pretend that everything is o.k. We are human and we will struggle. We can help someone else through the struggle, if we are willing to humble ourselves and be transparent. God knows that we are dust (Ps. 103:14)! How marvelous that He still chooses to use us! 

~originally posted by Kim at Life in the 10/40 Window~ 

Adjusting to Life on the Mission Field ~ Part 1

Several years ago, we sold our first house and bought another on the other side of town. We were so excited. Our family had grown and we needed a 3^rd bedroom. The Lord had answered our prayer abundantly. A few weeks after the move, we were finally settled and I was so lonely. My kids did not change schools, we were attending the same church, I was hanging out with the same friends, but I felt so isolated. I missed my old neighborhood and familiar stores and roads. I told my friend that I did not understand this. She told me the grieving process was settling in. I didn’t quite understand this at the time, but I knew she was right.

When we moved to the field, I experienced this at a new level. Part of grieving is adjusting to a new way of life. It’s sort of like after a funeral. The hubbub of the funeral is over, the family meal is finished and everyone returns to their normal routine, except for the immediate family of the one who died. They have to learn to live day by day without the lost loved one. When you move to the field, the old way of life is over. If you add to that the unfamiliar, it is overwhelming. We have to turn to the God of all comforts (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). He is waiting with open arms. “The Greek word for ‘comfort’ is related to the familiar word paraclete, ‘one who comes along side to help,’…’comfort’ often connotes softness and ease, but that is not its meaning here. Paul was saying that God came to him in the middle of his sufferings and troubles to strengthen him and give him courage and boldness” (MacArthur Study Bible).

When we arrived in Japan, I felt unprepared for the emotions that I would experience. I had no choice about the home we lived in. I was frustrated because I could not communicate. I felt lost driving on the “wrong” side of the road and not being able to read the signs. I didn’t know where to shop. I didn’t know what prices were good. I had no friends and I had to put up a good face for my children who were watching me. It was terribly overwhelming. I remembered what my friend said about grieving and I was helped. It is o.k. to grieve. It is not a sin to feel sadness. It’s even o.k. to cry. The attitude behind it is what can be sinful. Where do we turn when the emotions flare?

Many times, when I have shared my struggles, I was told that “we all have to go through it.” I did not find this comforting. If our comfort comes from the Lord, we have an obligation to share with others what brought us comfort and gave us strength (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). I was determined to find some answers in the Word. When another missionary lady came to me, I wanted to have an answer.

Memorizing God’s Word has had a life-changing affect on me. Find verses that help you and memorize them. If you do this, God will bring them to your mind when you need them most. For example, I had to have a mammogram here. It was not something I looked forward to. I will not go into the whole big, long story. They do things differently here and it was pretty traumatic. I couldn’t talk to the doctors, so my hubby was translating. That was a different stress of its own! As I was lying on the examining table fighting the tears, the Lord brought to my mind 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” I had instant peace and the tears fled. If I had not memorized those verses, they would not have been there when I needed them most!

Several verses have helped me on a regular basis. I meditate on the fact that God is present with me (Psalm 46:1, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Psalm 139:7-10, Matthew 28:20). Others may forget me, but God does not (Isaiah 49:15). When I am overwhelmed, I must go to the Lord. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed, that I can’t remember to do this and then He leads me to Himself (Psalm 61:1, 2). Spurgeon said about these verses that “he who communes with God is always at home.”

Perhaps the most exciting truth to me about God is His faithfulness. He keeps His promises. I have seen this in my life before, but it has been magnified on the field. He strengthens me, helps me and holds me up (Isaiah 41:10). He guides me with His eye (Psalm 32:8). He goes before me. I do not need to be dismayed (Deuteronomy 31:8).

When we moved to the city we are in now, there was no one living here to show us around. When we needed a doctor, God led us. When we needed an eye doctor, God led us. Both of these speak some English! I needed a friend. God went before me and hand-picked one and put her in my path. Then there was the time I needed something at the store and I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t ask the clerk and even if I could, I wouldn’t have understood her answer. After several minutes of searching and mounting frustration, I cried out to the Lord and He led me right to it. I could go on and on…

~ originally posted by Kim at Life in the 10/40 Window ~