DoUble portion
My wife recently had a miscarriage. She began to miscarry right before her short mission trip to Lebanon. We buried our son (a part of him) in Korea. I debated whether to send my wife to Lebanon with the pain she was experiencing, but inspired by the way Jesus responded when his cousin John was beheaded, my wife decided to go. In Matthew 14, John is beheaded. Instead of projecting his anger against Herod who issued the execution, he processed it with the Father. I’m sure Jesus was angry. Anger is not sin, but if we allow it to grow instead of giving it over to the Father, it produces sin within us which manifests itself in demonic thoughts, cursing lips and desire for retaliation and vengeance. Instead of giving into demonic thoughts and deeds, Jesus went to the father and found healing.
Healed people heal people. When Jesus had spent time in the secret place with Abba, he continued his mission and operated in the miraculous. The secret to Jesus’ power was to live in such communion with the Father that circumstances had no power over him, because he constantly lived the crucified life.
Instead of accusing people, he came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus was modeling for us how to process hurt and pain — to go the Father and pour out our hearts before Him. Out of the overflow of his healed heart—he fed the hungry and continued his mission.
The Lord reminded us of that passage and felt that the Lord was leading her to complete the mission. Once she got through the Lebanese customs, the rest of Elisha came out. We had a burial ceremony via FaceTime as we buried Elisha in an area where the crusades took place, where many Muslims were murdered. The Lord then gave me a word saying: “the very lad which used to kill Muslims shall become the very land by which many Muslims shall be saved.” It struck me that Elisha had received a double portion of Elijah’s anointing. The last miracle performed by Elisha was when he was dead. A dead soldier was placed on the bones of Elisha and the dead man came back to life.
We could sense God’s sovereignty and that He was writing a story through our pain. God knows how to flip the script. He’s got the power to give hope to the hopeless and bring dead things to life.
Before coming to Korea and experiencing doors for the gospel opening up in many churches here, I sensed that God was calling our family to sow into revival in Asia. As we buried a part of Elisha in Korea and now in the Middle East, I received a strong sense that this was a double portion blessing from the Lord and that we will not only sow into revival in Asia but also the Middle East.
God had, long before burying Elisha, taught us spiritual warfare through losing our daughter Scarlet to an unexpected brain cancer. The enemy works overtime to kill, steal and destroy. There’s always equal amount of demonic resistance to the degree of divine purpose. Ten years ago, Satan tried to derail our family. Satan tried again, but again has failed miserably. He keeps using the same tools in his tool belt and it’s all to predictable. When times of pain comes, it just strengthens our resolve to destroy the devil. We hold the keys that will lock up the devil for good —taking the gospel to the whole world. When our mission is complete, Jesus will tear open the second heavens, come down and lock up that accuser where He belongs. Thats how I deal with sorrow and death —I see the future and it’s bright.
We can’t explain many things in life, but while the devil works hard to stamp us out, God has always encouraged us to keep going. God has already given us all things through Christ, therefore, everything outside of that is a bonus. We will gladly live and die for the glorious God who loves us and gave Himself up for us. If life throws questions, Jesus is always the answer.
Lebanon deeply marked my wife. It’s wonderful to now have her back from her 11 day trip to the Middle East and we’re excited for what is in store.