He Prepares
By Hannah Rodgers
God does amazing things; He prepares us, He knows what we cannot see. God has planned a future for us that we cannot ever imagine and is preparing us in ways that we couldn’t possibly understand. Often He is preparing us in ways we do not think we need, ways that somehow may seem unimportant, but, in the end, is just what we need. God gives us plenty of examples of this in the Bible. Let me share a couple.
In the beginning of the book of Daniel, children of Israel were called upon to become worthy to stand before the king. These were children of princes and kings and they had no blemish, were skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge and understanding (v4). These were near-perfect children in both looks and knowledge, groomed from birth, but still they needed three more years of training and grooming to accomplish the Kingdom goals that God had set aside for them. They needed to learn a language so they could speak to the people. God used this in amazing ways for His glory. (See Daniel 2, 3)
Esther, an orphan being raised humbly by her uncle, Mordecai, is described as fair and beautiful (Esther 2:7). Still, in order to see King Ahasuerus and therefore win his favor and the title Queen, she had to go through a whole year of beauty treatments. God was preparing Esther to use her royal role to save all the Jews living in Persia at that time (Esther 8:11). When thousands and thousands of lives are on the line, the last place we would think to look for the one who God is preparing for victory is the beauty salon! But God knew just what she needed and prepared her for her royal destiny.
It seems highly unlikely that the men and women who decide to come to Haven of Rest for help planned that this is how their story would go. They probably would not have wished that they would need the programs and services the Mission provides. But God knew. Even in the darkest hours of their lives, God called men and women from all walks of life to the Mission to prepare them for the life that He has planned for them. Not only will these men and women no longer be in the grip of their past, which sometimes seems like the end goal, but God sees further than that. They are being prepared for a kingdom future, a destiny He has planned since before they were born.
Men and women who have come through our programs have conquered their pasts with Christ’s strength and have been blessed to move into ministry roles, become business owners, and even work to help people who are struggling as they had struggled. He has a plan. It is our joy and pleasure to show God’s grace, as He has shown us, to men and women on their journey at Haven of Rest. Please pray for everyone at the Mission to walk closely with God on the path He has laid out for them and to understand the importance of His direction.
