Written by Will Brown
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
There is something so profoundly beautiful about waking up each morning to the view of the Rocky Mountains outside your kitchen window. What’s even more profound is looking back and seeing the journey that the Lord has taken my wife, Jessica, and I on to reach our current destination: Didsbury, Alberta.
Ontario is home—namely, Toronto. Moving from one of the busiest cities in North America to a small town of less than five thousand people is a radical change of scenery. If you had told us four months ago that we’d be living in Didsbury of all places, we wouldn’t have believed you.
Almost a year ago, four months into our marriage, we felt like the Lord was telling us something: “Put aside one year to serve me.” We weren’t sure what that looked like, or where that looked like, but we both heard the call very clearly.
There’s a reason why Paul refers to us, the unified church of believers, as the body of Christ. He chooses us, in the diversity of our gifting and function, to bring glory to His name – not our own. It was important to us that whatever way we were to serve, we wanted it to be something that He put into place for us.
Walking by faith does not mean asking for permission, but guidance. In this journey of surrendering our own plans and our own thinking, the Lord revealed to us where we were to go: Ellel Ministries in Western Canada. Although the decision to come to Didsbury was not always clear or easy, we felt the Lord pushing our boundaries. The provision of the Lord is over those who respond to His call instead of their own.
“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11).
We feel something of eternal significance is wrapped up in Ellel Ministries and that God has brought us here for a divine purpose. He does not make mistakes. It is not by chance that we are living and serving in Alberta, in the same way that you and His call on your life is not by chance.
This is a time for the empowering of God’s people – not to stand by idly, but to stand firmly in the authority of our saviour Jesus Christ. What is holding you back from giving Him everything? Comfort, security, and familiarity are tools the enemy can use to confuse you or blind you from what God is calling you to.
Your calling may not involve a move across the country, but know He has designed and gifted you for a specific purpose. Consider the things you are clinging to, the things that are keeping you in a place of complacency, the things that have created a barrier between you and the Father.
Hear this: our God is a generous God. Not only will He provide what is required, but He will lavish gifts on you and bless you in ways you are not able to comprehend. Faith doesn’t move God, faith moves us. God is already moving. The question is when are you going to start moving?
