One night a couple weeks ago as my team was leaving Bangla I felt God telling me: “I am not done on Bangla.” We were almost to the end of the street, so I stopped quick and looked back. “What more do you have for me God?” But though I turned and looked, I didn’t see anyone I felt called to talk to, I didn’t see a street I felt called to walk down, I didn’t feel called to do anything. So I turned and continued walking off the street.
Once again I heard God say, “I am not done on Bangla.” I turned again and looked down the street. Nothing. “OK God, I am here. If you aren’t done, show me where to go or who to talk to.” Still nothing.
By this time, my team had noticed me looking back and they questioned me about it. I told them what I heard, and we all looked. Nothing. We left Bangla and drove back. As I left, I couldn’t forget the words I heard God telling me. “I am not done on Bangla.”
The whole ride home I thought about it. I was still questioning God: “If you weren’t done, why didn’t you lead me somewhere God?” But then it hit me, God didn’t say I am not done working through YOU on Bangla, He said that I, GOD, am not done working on Bangla.
Wow. Here I am worrying about what I am doing, and the limited time that I have here, but it’s not about me. GOD is the one working on Bangla. Even though we are not allowed into some of the bars, even though we cannot possibly talk to every tourist or bar tender or street vender, even if we can’t guarantee that we will see a certain prostitute a second time, God can be all places and do all things. We have to leave at the end of each night, and at the end of our time here, we will leave for good, probably never to walk the streets of Bangla again. But God will still be at work.
That is the beauty of the God we serve. He is, has been, and always will be at work. It is not up to us. We are not the ‘good Christian missionaries’ with the goal of changing the world – or in this case, Bangla – we are simply the instruments of God. We are here on HIS timing. We are doing HIS work, saying HIS words, and proclaiming HIS love. We are here to bring HIS kingdom. And the time will come for us to leave. But God will continue to work. Revival will happen on Bangla. Bars will close. Burmese venders will be able to return home. Prostitutes will leave the bars and return to their families and children all because: GOD IS NOT DONE ON BANGLA
