Movements Everywhere

A forest fire was rapidly working its way down the canyon toward our buildings—which included my home and office. It was late afternoon a few days before Thanksgiving in November of 1980. I was driving from San Diego, California, to our headquarters at Arrowhead Springs.

When my car crested the hill on Highway 91 in Riverside, I could see Arrowhead Springs across the valley, seemingly engulfed in flames. That was where I had left my wife and baby daughter that morning.

What was I supposed to do? One thing for sure—trust God! That circumstance compelled me to have an extreme dependence on God.

As it turns out there was a fire at Arrowhead, and Judy and Debbie and everyone else in the Campus Crusade for Christ family there got out in time.

We only lost a few smaller buildings. But our entrance bridge was destroyed, so we had no easy access to Arrowhead Springs.

The next day God did some remarkable things to get us “back in business,” including:

1.  He gave an idea to pair our offices in our downtown buildings (27th Street) with specific offices from Arrowhead Springs. By noon we had desks, phones and supplies available for the displaced offices from Arrowhead Springs.
2.  A retired colonel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was able to muster a team and equipment to build a “temporary” entrance bridge in just several hours. (That bridge lasted a year!)

My point is simply that when we put our total trust in God, He provided.  That example was big. But we need to depend on God with small matters as well. For example, a few years after I joined staff I noticed the need for more business suits in light of my job. I had a limited budget, but I did buy a few suits. Finally, though, I wondered what would happen if I just prayed about it rather than hurry to buy a gray suit I thought I needed.

A few days later a friend and staff member, John Lowe, burst into my office with two suits in his arms. One was gray. The other one was too small for me, but the gray one fit me perfectly.

John did not know I had prayed for a suit. But when a clothing store went out of business in northern Illinois, John’s friend (the owner) sent John some suits to give away to Campus Crusade staff members. John thought of me and was the instrument God used to personally deliver my new gray suit.

Sometimes we need to depend on God for protection more than provision. I was just reading the account of a number of Ethiopian students connected with our ministry were beaten and jailed due to their witness for Christ.

I imagine they found themselves praying like King David:

“Deliver me from my enemies O God; protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from evil doers…” (Psalm 59:1, 2a)

In those kinds of situations, extreme dependence on God dramatically influences even how we think and feel:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

I think God eagerly waits for us to trust Him completely. Normally, He requires us to plan and work toward His assignments for us. Sometimes He provides above and beyond what we would expect.

But in all circumstances He is pleased when we:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Over the next few months I would like to explore with you some ways we can depend on God more completely. In a previous communication I mentioned “extreme dependence on God” as a crucial element of the change we need to seek in the months and years to come. I am committed to being on this journey with you.

I look forward to learning more about how we can trust God with all of our hearts.