I was really priviledged to be able to take a trip to the dunes in the
Sahara desert with the Canadian team who had come for a few days to
help out here. They were able to gather 10 of us, including a Moroccan
woman and 3 Americans to make the trip more affordable. What surprised
me most was how uncomfortable riding on a Camel is at first, but how
you do get used to sitting on a hump quite quickly and how beautiful
the sky was (I had never seen such a blue sky in my life, nor so clearly
the shooting stars at night). We were able to sleep under the stars at
night and I found it really interesting how the moon "rose" at about
2:30am and just continued to move higher in the sky while I could gradually
feel a warmer breeze as it got closer to sunrise.
I thought about Abraham in the wilderness at night looking at the stars
and God promising that his descendants would be as numourous as these
bright lights filling the huge dome above me. Then I thought about how
long Abraham waited to even have ONE son, this huge promise rested on
that. He didn't see any evidence of the promise for a long time, but
nevertheless God was faithful. My mind wandered even further into
Abraham being asked to sacrifice his only hope of that promise being
fulfilled and he him being willing to do so. And still God was faithful.
Friends, I can say that I am being struck by the power of faith and the
strength of the pure love of God. His love is so strong and His ways so
incomprehensible, He shows His faithfulness and goodness through the
strangest ways and plans. Be assured that if you have faith for Him to
do what He promised, it is as sure as done. "Faith is the SUBSTANCE of
things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1.
Faith is not an empty hope and wish, there is substance and evidence
behind the truth of God's faithfulness and truth. My own faith has been
incredibly strengthened through stuff I thought would weaken it. And,
I see that it was not anything I did, but something He has done, which
just gives more faith. And that is ABUNDANCE.