Utterly Dependent on God

Do you really live your life in dependence upon God? Do you really KNOW that you need Him, that you are lost with out Him, and that you cannot make it without Him?

  Living in Zimbabwe is already teaching our family about our utter dependence upon God in everyday life! For instance, a few weeks ago, we planted about 120 acres of corn and 45 acres of soya beans. Here in Zimbabwe, crops can only be grown successfully if the rains come. Well, rain usually starts in November and continues pretty regularly until the end of February or the beginning of March. This year, however, the rains have never really arrived, at least in the way they do in a “typical” season. So, we planted our crops in early December, praying for rain, believing that God has taken it upon Himself to provide for the needs of the orphans and workers at Eden Children’s Village. Over the course of this first month of the plants being in the ground we have only had 3 rains! In a “typical” season, that would be pretty alarming, but this year, God has been showing us our need to trust Him, as He has sent rain sporadically and “right on time.” Yesterday, January 9th, 2012, marked 9 days since our last rain. In many places in the world, this would not appear as an uncommon or unwelcome reality, but in Zimbabwe, at this time of year, many days with no rain equals very stressed crops. So, our corn and soya beans were very dry and starting to show signs that the subsoil, where their roots retrieve moisture, had become depleted of the wonderful rains that had come a little over a week before. Corn only has the capacity to endure this kind of stress for a very limited time before you start to lose plants and see your potential yield drop dramatically. For us, at Eden, these crops are crucial in every way! Without them, we don’t have the means to feed orphans and workers families. With that reality very vividly impressed on our hearts and minds, we asked God for rain, very clearly, very simply and very earnestly. At 12pm, there didn’t seem to be two clouds in the sky that wanted to make rain, there was one, but he couldn’t do it alone, wonderfully, though, our Merciful Father graciously began to brew the weather for us. By 1pm the rain started and kept coming steadily for over an hour. This left us with nearly 1 inch of rain and sweet sweet relief from the burning African sun! Even more miraculous than the fact that rain had not been predicted for yesterday comes the reality that the rain came from the exact opposite direction of our “typical” rain patterns for this time of year! 

  We are Eden praise God today for His faithful providence in our lives! We pray this testimony of God’s faithfulness will both encourage you, to believe Him and trust Him more, and to challenge you to realize that you are every bit as dependent upon God as we are here! Be encouraged, family of God in Jesus Christ, for your Father knows what you need and it is His good pleasure to give you those things and eternal life!