I didn’t think I would become a cross-cultural worker. Even though I always loved to travel, I didn’t think I would do ministry vocationally overseas. And certainly not in the middle east. Yet, when God invited me into the next season of the life He had for me, I didn’t think about being brave. The only thing I could do was say yes. 

Mary, no doubt, had plans for her future — marry an honorable man, become a mother, live beside their extended family, give birth with her mother beside her. But when an angel of the Lord announced the plan, Mary humbly obeyed (Luke 1:38). She set her sights on a new, unknown future surrendered to this marvelous and difficult-to-believe plan. Was it her desire to obey God that made her brave?  

When we were on a furlough in the US, about six years into ministry in the middle east, we visited college friends. Though our friends had professional careers, they had moved into a low-income area to minister to the community. They shared stories about drive-by shootings, police raids, and the intentionality of getting to know their neighbors. 

My friend looked at me and said, “I don’t think I’m brave enough to move to Egypt.” I laughed and answered, “I don’t think I’m brave enough to move here.”  

Courage to follow the life God invites us into is a gift. And it’s an act of faith in who God says He is. 

“All of you who wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage.” Psalm 31:24  

We need courage to pry our fingers off the plans we had. Obeying God often does not make worldly sense. But when we have tasted and seen that God is good (Psalm 34:8) and Jesus has the words of life, where else would we want to go (John 6:68-69)? 

The courage to obey is a gift. May we receive the gift, no matter what obedience is required, and say, “Here am I, Lord, send me.”