Jonathan Raub: July 2009

The Good Ol’ USA! That’s where I am right now as I write this! It is a blessing to be back! We have so much freedom in America, and being overseas for more than a couple of weeks has made me appreciate it even more!

The past two weeks have been really busy. This is one of the first times I’ve had time to sit and work on my computer in a long while! We spent the last two weeks of our stay in Germany working hard to help the Green’s get completely ready for their furlough. (Bro. Green is back in the States by the way with his son Jacob looking for a place for his family to stay) I was glad to get on the plane coming back to the States but I was definitely thankful for all of the memories and friends made in Germany. I was able to spend some time with Bro. Gary Lutrick, who is a missionary in Frankfurt, and doing a tremendous work with the Germans there. Working with him is Bro. Michael Falkenburg, a native German who pastors another German work there. He and his wife Sandra were a joy and a blessing to be around.

The flight home was uneventful. (Except for the fact that my stupid and tired self left my video camera on the plane in Chicago! Working on getting it back.) It was great to see the family again! We jumped right into a missions conference that my family has been in at Mount Zion Baptist Fellowship Church in Martinsville, IN. The people are really friendly, and may I mention, addicted to volleyball! J Tomorrow will be the last day of the conference and Stephen and I are going to be preaching in the afternoon! I’m thankful for any opportunity I get to preach!

I have been thinking and meditating lately on the will of the Lord. Being 21 years old, this is the time in my life where the direction of my life is mostly set. I wish I had all of the answers for myself, and I believe I know what God has for me, (That’s being in missionary aviation.) but the truth is many times I want God to speak to me in some wonderful way, or give me an incredible sign, but oftentimes God wants us to have faith in HIM. I sometimes find myself looking at the missing pieces of the puzzle of my life, (I don’t know about you, but I always have missing pieces!) and looking at the Lord and wondering what to do. Not always does He answer in a time or a way that I like! I truly believe that it is here that the Faith Factor kicks in! If I allow my life to be consumed with some unknown then the Devil has won a victory and God cannot work through us. With the thought of Faith in my mind I began to think about a message that I heard Bro. Green preach while I was over in Germany.

He took his text out of Luke Chapter 24:13-32 where two of Jesus’ disciples were traveling to Emmaus after Jesus’ crucifixion and Jesus walked with them and expounded many things to them. His main text verse was verse 32 “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Bro. Green’s thought focused on that phrase “by the way”. His point was that Jesus met and talked with his disciples “by the way”, or while they were going about their daily business. He said that sometimes we can go through a time or times in our life where it seems that we don’t know what is going on and we are looking for answers. Jesus spoke to his disciples “by the way”. He also speaks to us by the way. If we are trusting him and serving him even though we do not always know what to do next, giving ourselves to Him and going about His business with earnestness and fervency, then God can meet with us. If I am surrendered and obeying him in every area of my life, then I am doing His will. If God wants me somewhere else doing something else, then I can rest assured that if I am listening to Him, He will reveal it to me! Matthew 6:33 is very familiar to me and I’m sure to most everybody and it is very applicable to God’s will. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” By the way if I am serving and surrendered to Him, then He will have me where He wants me! In the next verse in Matthew 6:34 it says “Take therefore no thought for the morrow…” I need not be worried or consumed with what God has for me next month or next year or ten years from now, because God wants me concentrating on what He has now. Sure, I should prepare and be ready, but not worry! Work like it’s up to me and pray like it’s all up to God!

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been thinking about the past few weeks and those thoughts and verses have been a blessing to me and I hope they are to you!

We have about 3 weeks of solid meetings (Every night), so I will be staying really busy the next month! It’s great to be back in the USA!