I have finally gotten round to writing up another entry in the hopefully somewhat interesting chronicles of my trip. I am well rested after being in Melbourne two weeks, during that time recovering from sickness. Just quickly I'd like to share with you how I actually got to Melbourne...
The story
It had been raining for a few weeks in Victoria, NSW and the quaint ACT, with the
rain always seeming to follow me (I think I may have inherited my grandfathers rainmaking skill/curse). I stayed in a rest area on the side of the Hume Freeway this night as per usual and was a bit annoyed by a small cough. Next morning I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck (to borrow a metaphor from Dad). I packed up my gear ever so slowly and sent off a pray request text message. I trundled down the road until later that morning it got so bad that I almost couldn't move. Pull over just off the side of the road I sat there for about 5 min in the meantime trying to contact the closest church (20k away) for help. As I was using my mobile it was raining so I had to sit forward over the phone to keep it dry. Five minutes later a lady pulls up and asks if I'm ok, so I told her I was sick and she offered me a lift to Euroa the closest town of decent size. I was pretty sure God had sent her whether she knew it or not. It turns out she came back when she saw me leaning over my phone, thinking I was cramped over in pain. Anyway she drove me toEuroa (the closest decent sized town) after I stashed my trike down a slope. She was working that day at Euroa Community Services which she only works at one day a week. When we rocked up someone at the Community Service Centre asked if I had anywhere to stay and offered for me to stay at her house. Her husband just happened to be driving past my trike with a ute that day and so could pick it up. He also he happened to have another guy with him this day who could help lift my trailer which is fairly heavy onto the ute. Later that night when I was at their house Paul, a guy I was trying to contact whom I had met on the way up to Brisbane called me and offered me a lift to Melbourne. So I got a lift to Melbourne even though I was sick and had a busted wheel, and I caught up with Paul. God certainly has his hand on all those he loves.
Melbourne and sweet sweet fellowship
Well I've been in Melbourne 18 days and it has been an awesome time due to the wonderful people who live in this city. I visited 6 different churches over 3 Sundays and attended quite a few Bible studies and cell groups very much enjoying the time of Christian fellowship, something I don't get to do much of on the road. How true is Psalm 133 assuming oil running down your beard is awesome...
Psalm 133 - How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
How awesome is that! The Lord bestows his blessing, the blessing of life uponus when
we fellowship in unity with each other and therefore ultimately him. I feel the life pumping through my arteries after time spent together with other Christians honoring the Lord our God in our speech, our actions, the real breaking of bread together and ultimately with the worship of our lives. How I wish the church was all and always like this.God is stirring things up, teaching his people, opening eyes, hardening hearts and conrolling every little detail, every choice, every opposition, every disater, every birth, everything! God is moving people! As I travel sometimes I see God's work when I stop being a fool and allow God to clear my vision and it encourages me greatly. All around Australia God is doing his stuff. Big things are happening, get ready, get passionate, get serious or you'll get left behind. This is no game, this is war.
Joel 3:9 - Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
1 Peter 2:11-12 - Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4,7 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds... You are looking only on the surface of things
I want to end with an old battle story, that many people are familar with (Nathan's paraphrase version):
David and Goliath
"Now the enemy had gathered their forces for war and assembled in our country and were camping out. Our handsome, brave and strong king led our nation out and we drew battle lines against the enemy. Both nations stood on hills looking out towards each other with a valley between.
The enemy had a champion soldier whose name was named Goliath, whose hometown was Gath. He was a true giant, he was more than nine feet tall and wore fitting bronze armor and had a bronze javelin and a spear.
Goliath used to mock our great nation and therefore mocked God, but all the men were too scared to stand up to him. He challenged us for forty days saying "Choose a man to fight me, if he is able to kill me, we will surrender but if I kill him you will surrender"
There was this scrawny young lad named David who was just a shepherd boy, the youngest son, not of great importance in his family, had to take some food down to his brothers who were camped at the battle.
This boy was of such courage he resolved in front of the king to fight the giant, confidant that as he was fighting for God, God would fight for him. He took with him only stones from the stream and his sling and approached Goliath. Golaiath mocked the boy and called down the curses of his gods upon him. In reply David revealed his secret to winning against all odds "Though you attack me with weapons of war, I attack you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the nation of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me."
As the giant moved to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him reached into his bag took out a stone, slung it and struck Goliath on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
Our nation won a great victory that day, the day a boy fought in the name of God."
We can be like the boy David.
Let us continue to faithfully pray for God to coninue his work and for us to play our part in it.
Nathan
Quotations
A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent - John Calvin
"Give me the love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay, the hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire; Let me not sink to be a clod: Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God." - Amy Carmichael
"I understand though bro, see someone's been training you
to think like you think and act like you do.
Its' getting old not like it should have ever been new
but as long as shallowness exists I shall persist
to rip apart the whole structure and expose the nucleus.
Shallowness exists I shall persist to rip
apart the whole structure and expose it for what it is" - John Reuben, Do Not lyrics
God's Achilles Heel
I will write of heresy
Of weakness of the LORD
Why his hands are tied behind his back
And how the devil could have won
But before I’m stoned I’d like to say
Twas the LORD himself who made it
That control was in the hands of men
He needs us, don’t forget it
The first example, at the start of time
An assignment was then given
First name the creatures, rule the world
And multiply, that’s God-given
And later on, a giant stood
Mocked, blasphemed the living God
Stood arrogant and prideful, said
“Send a man, decide who the battle has won”
Perhaps behind these giant words
Stood the cursed one
Perhaps the LORD in stern reply
“Here’s a man, my perfect son”
Such a great example of man
Being used in the great grand plan
God chooses to use men
In his sovereignty he can
So when it’s time to make a choice
Remember in your heart
God needs you to do his work
Without men his plan is thwart
Nathan Combs
