Believing God when things are bad

Welcome to the His Call Your Coordinates series! 2020 has definitely been a challenging year, hasn’t it? Many of you feel lost right now. You wonder where God is or what your purpose is now that our world looks so wildly different. I can relate!

But our God is always with us. No pandemic can thwart His purpose for our lives. God is placing us at certain sets of coordinates to carry out His call even though our world feels a little wonky right now! Our theme verse, then, for this series comes from Acts 17:26-27b:

From one man, he [God] made every nation of mankind to live over the entire face of the earth. He determined the appointed time and the boundaries where they would live. He did this so they would seek God and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

I pray these words become more precious to you as we meet together throughout this series. It captures two truths that are vital for us to acknowledge whenever we feel lost or purposeless:

1) God has appointed us to live in a very specific time and place, so we are never truly lost.

2) God is never far from us, so we are never truly alone. 

I also pray that taking a fresh look at Paul’s missionary travels throughout the book of Acts, along with various interviews I’ve had with some of my fellow author friends, help you have a light bulb moment; enabling you to live out God’s call in your life right from your own coordinates. For God is never far from you! Instead of holding onto the past and continually lamenting what could have been, let’s look to God and where He’s placed us for what we can be doing now.

So let’s get started, shall we? We’re off to look at what happened to Paul as he traveled to the coordinates of Malta and Rome. For this week’s adventure, we’ll meet up with my friend and fellow traveler, Victoria Duerstock. I do hope you’ll unpack, sit for a spell, and listen to our recorded interview at the bottom of the page for further inspiration and encouragement before you leave. The rest of your travel itinerary is also listed below for you to reference. Thank you for spending part of your day with us!

 

His Call:

To prove that human chains cannot prevent the spread of Kingdom news.

Last week we discussed what happened when the Apostle Paul confronted a popular false teacher of his day during his time in Paphos. This week we will take a look at Paul’s travel coordinates to Malta and Rome, and how he was judged, honored, confined, and faithful through it all.

One of the questions I continue to wrestle with is, why does God allow suffering into the lives of those who love Him? Or why when I seem content or at peace, does God uproot me in a relational, or physical sense?

Modern missionaries, Nik Ripken and his wife, Ruth, understand what it is like to be uprooted. They worked in Malawi and South Africa, then they moved to Nairobi, Kenya, to begin work among the Somali people. After that, they journeyed around the world, interviewing believers who were persecuted for their faith, in order to learn from them and educate the church of the West about trusting God no matter what happens. The Ripkens have experienced deep suffering as they responded to God’s command to share Jesus. While they were doing missionary work with Somalis, their 16-year-old son died of an asthma attack. Even though the Ripkens have experienced great loss, they continue to serve God wherever He leads them.

Though the Ripkens experienced the “chains” of suffering through deep grief, and the Apostle Paul experienced literal chains for the cause of Christ, as we’ll see in today’s passage—they persisted in sharing the Gospel and many have come to faith because of it.

What kind of chains bind you? Are they emotional, spiritually, relational, or physical? How can you continue to share your faith at the coordinates God has given you? 

 

Your Coordinates:

Malta (35°55’N 14°24’E) and Rome (41° 54′ N 12° 29′ E)

In Acts 28:1-10, Paul arrives in Malta, after surviving a shipwreck. He didn’t plan on going to Malta, but God changed his plans because the people needed God.

At first, the locals of Malta mistake Paul for a murderer due to an unfortunate encounter with a snake. Since a snake latched onto his hand, they assumed that Paul had done something terribly wrong and that justice was being served (see Acts 28:2-4). Then the local people mistake Paul for a god because he was able to shake off the snake and he didn’t swell up or suddenly drop dead because of it (see Acts 28:5-6).

Paul was bitten by a snake and shook it off. Do you need to shake off the enemy? How can you do so?

The rest of Paul’s time in Malta went much better, as Publius, the leading man of the island, showed warm hospitality to him. Paul healed Publius’ father along with those on the island who had diseases (see Act 28:7-9). Because of this, the people heaped honor upon Paul and those with him and they gave them what they needed for their journey (verse 10).

After his time in Malta, Paul goes to Rome. As we see in Acts 28:16, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a guard. It is believed that Paul evangelized to house guests and wrote New Testament letters such as Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon while in Rome. Paul was questioned by Jewish leaders but proclaimed the Gospel loudly even though his physical freedom was limited. Then, for next two years Paul “boldly and without hindrance preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31).

Paul’s call at these coordinates prove that human chains cannot prevent the spread of Kingdom news.

Human chains cannot prevent the spread of Kingdom news. Click To Tweet

Even when we find ourselves house-bound—whether because of physical limitations or a government mandate, like with Covid—or we are behind bars for our faith, our call to proclaim the Gospel remains. Circumstances might not be ideal, they may even be downright confining, but, like Paul, we can still share the good news of Jesus to a hurting world.

Sometimes our voices and Christlike example are amplified the most when we find ourselves in the middle of suffering. Click To Tweet

 

From raising babies to picking paint samples

Today’s guest, Victoria Duerstock, landed on a different type of Malta that looked like a little plot of land in Nesbit, Mississippi. She didn’t plan on going there either. As she shares in our interview, she’s been bitten by the circumstances of life and suffered too, through: questioning her faith, chaos in her home, an unexpected move, and a big pivot in her purpose.

Victoria’s path has not been easy. She has been involved with physical and emotional storms as well, like a hurricane and her mom’s battle with cancer. She set aside some of her dreams for a bit to be a mom and raise babies, not knowing if God would ever open doors for other ministry. He has now, with her writing and speaking ministry.

If you are a mom of littles, I hope that Victoria’s example encourages you. Following God’s lead within your coordinates and calling, and staying in sync with His timing, is definitely the best route to take.

Victoria’s life has turned out different than she planned. As you will hear, she and I are kindred spirits since we both enjoy redesigning the hearts of women around us with God’s Word. Victoria has come to see how her experiences have helped her write books, as God led her to different coordinates than she expected.

You may be waiting to see a dream fulfilled, or praying that a loved one is healed or comes to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, or stuck in a hard place, unsure of what you’re supposed to do next.

Wherever you find yourself today, like Victoria, may we echo this prayer: “I believe You God, even when things are bad. Do with this what you will… this isn’t mine. I am willing to follow and obey You, wherever you place me, God.”

“God is always at work and He is always greater!”

~Victoria Duerstock

Guest Bio:

A multi-passionate creative and entrepreneur fueled mostly by coffee, Victoria Duerstock pursues her dreams with verve and intensity. Wife and mom of three, Victoria divides and conquers the never ending to-do list while working to maintain her sanity and pleasant demeanor. Her writing journey plunged her deep in the social media landscape and she enjoys sharing her tips and tricks for growth and engagement with others. You can read more on her websites www.victoriaduerstock.com and www.heartandhomebooks.com.

 

Additional activities for your travel itinerary:

Say “hi” in the comments below and answer one of the following questions to be entered into the “Travel From Home” Giveaway!!! One commenter will be chosen from the six blog posts in the series, and the winner will be announced on July 30th! 

Have you ever lived in a place you swore you’d never live? What is something you learned while living there?

Do you need to shake off the enemy? How can you do so?

What kind of chains bind you? Are they emotional, spiritual, relational, or physical? How can you continue to share your faith at the coordinates God has given you? 

Lastly, here is a link to a freebie that you can click on and print off for fun! I hope this prayer for your coordinates is a blessing to your heart and to your home:

Tracy Steel: His Call, Your Coordinates PDF