Exodus 3:16-22 “Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
Remember that Moses is at the back of the desert herding sheep. He’s been out of Egypt for forty years, and he figures that most of his relatives have forgotten him or have written him off as a has-been, a failure, and a nobody. If the Hebrews remember Moses at all, they probably think he’s a trouble-maker. Now God is speaking to Moses out of the burning bush, telling him to gather the elders of Israel and give them this message. Moses might be forgiven if he wants to laugh. Sure, it’s great for God to order Moses to deliver this message, but will these guys really listen to him, let alone accompany him to meet with Pharaoh? And even if the elders of Israel believe Moses, what about their wives? Will these women be willing to break up their households and move to some unknown land on Moses’ say-so?
If you want to follow God, be prepared for Him to turn your life upside down and inside-out, shattering your preconceived notions of how things are going to go. And be aware that God is not worried about your qualifications or your preferences either.
We had served a two-year missionary term in Ghana and had returned to America when the Assemblies of God, Ghana Church invited us to come visit a tiny clinic in a remote part of northeastern Ghana. I was a board-certified general surgeon with four years of training in pediatric surgery. I had even been invited to join the staff at a large pediatric cancer surgery hospital in the U.S.; however, something just didn’t feel right about accepting that invitation. That was our situation in February 1992 when we traveled to the small town of Saboba. We had already discussed things and had decided we would look at the place and then say, “Thanks, but no thanks.” That decision lasted until our vehicle entered the mission house yard.
As soon as we got out of the vehicle, the Holy Spirit descended like a big warm blanket, wrapping around us. We didn’t hear anything unusual, nor did we see anything. But as surely as Moses heard God at the burning bush, we KNEW that God wanted us to come to Saboba.
We still had hurdles to overcome, chief among them being finding a sending agency to sponsor us. And after connecting with a mission group, we learned the Church needed us in Saboba with only four months in which to raise funding. Although we had been assured that there would be some kind of salary for me as a doctor from an outside agency, we later found that information to be false. But by late January 1993, we were taking up residence in Saboba, even though we had electricity for only 2 hours a night by generator, no running water, and only an LP gas refrigerator and stove for the kitchen.
That first year was complicated because people who should have introduced us to regional health authorities failed to do so, leaving those authorities in doubt about my credentials. But when a tribal war broke out in February 1994, our facility suddenly became the only source of medical care for 100,000 people. We started operations and lab procedures and stuffed 37 patients into a small U-shaped health center building. We re-named the facility the Saboba Medical Centre to reflect the increased level of care. Several years later, the facility received its current name, the Assemblies of God Hospital, Saboba. From that modest beginning, the Assemblies of God Hospital has grown into a district hospital serving not only our district but patients from several other surrounding districts as well as communities across the Oti River in Togo. When we said “Yes” to the Holy Spirit in February 1992, we had no idea what would come from that decision.
Today, we continue to volunteer at the hospital, doing whatever we can to help staff, patients, and their families. Obviously, God has sent many people to help build up the place. Studying the story of Moses, you realize that Moses also had groups of elders who helped solve problems for the people he was leading.
As we enter a new year, ask God to help you to be open to His leading and His visions. God is always doing new things and He will certainly do them for you just as surely as He did for Moses.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please help us to be open to Your Holy Spirit so that You can guide us in new directions. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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