The growl of a neighbor’s chainsaw was appropriate background noise for the dark thoughts chewing through my mind as I waited for people to arrive for church. How have we really helped the people here? I don’t even know if they want to know more about Jesus. I wonder if they are just being polite but secretly want us to go home. I tried to pray but negative thoughts about our ministry kept crowding my brain. Then I heard God’s gentle voice above the cacophony. It’s not about you, my child. It’s about Me. A verse flew into my mind. “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days”(Eccl. 11:1). I tried to grasp this verse. What did it mean? Bread . . . the Word of God. Waters . . . in prophecy it means people. I paraphrased the verse for my own simple understanding. Give people the Word of God and it will work in their lives. “Okay Lord,” I prayed. “Adam is going to simply be reading Your Word with our group today. Thank You for reminding me that it is not us that works in peoples’ hearts but You. Please bless the reading of Your Word today as we study. And please, could You help the chainsaw man find something else to do while we are studying? Thank You.”

Adam soon arrived with the people who wanted to join us. As we opened our Bibles, I continued to pray for God’s blessing. It was a simple study. Our limited language skill prevented us from understanding all of the discussion, and I still felt like we were not as effective as I would like to be. However, I kept claiming God’s promise in Ecclesiastes 11:1.
As we chatted after the study, the loud growl of the chainsaw suddenly interrupted us. I suddenly realized it had been quiet during our study. Now, instead of dark thoughts harmonizing with the sound of the saw, my mind was illuminated with the wonderful assurance that God keeps His promises.

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