Waiting for a God chosen Titus

This morning I read a verse in 2 Cor 7 “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”

I am in need of some encouragement so I guess this verse was encouraging me!  God who comforts the downcast, comforted us…i wondered who God will send?  but then again maybe i should not wonder and just see what happens.....

It reminded me also of something that happened about 5 years ago. We were building our house out here in the middle of nowhere.  We were down, we needed help but none was coming!  One morning I also read this verse and really felt God telling me that He is sending help – in the form of a Titus!

And so we  looked in all kinds of directions – where would this Titus come from?  Our team in L?  Our home church? Other business people in the country or from our home country?  (we were building a house!) Where would help come from?

Well, in the end it was in a very different form.  That day God used a very beat-up old truck – green with only one front light – to be an encouragement to us.  We had ordered the truck to bring the last of the building materials from town and with the truck came a small crew.  They were not even believers but God used these men to lift us up!  He can use anything and anyone to comfort His children.  Apart from bringing the last things from L, they also happily hauled sand and stone for us and they slept over to do some more work.  They were really such help and just what we needed!  Titus came in the form of a truck.

If you would have looked at the truck and the motley crew you would never have thought that they could be a help to anyone.  Looks certainly did not do it for them.  But the fact is that they were!  God’s hand was in it.  (Even today when we drive through L and see the truck we all wave madly and they wave back!)

Here is one more example of a unlikely (in my eyes) candidate.  Our village has two chiefs.  One very nice and happy, the other sullen and difficult.  When you visit him he tries to trick you up in all kinds of ways in the local language and then chuckles at your pathetic attempts.  He is not a nice man at all.  But two times the Lord has used him to encourage us (although I don’t think he ever realized this!) Alfred had to go to a funeral in our home country and this chief gave him some money towards the trip.  If you knew how poor these people are you would grasp the significance of this!  (And don’t even try to not accept the gift!) No-one else that we would normally think would help, gave anything towards this unexpected expense, but God was showing us He will look after us, He will provide and He did.  Just last week being in a similar situation Alfred was visiting the chief and suddenly he scratched around his chair and came up with a banknote which he gave to Alfred.  He told him it was for “lunch” since his wife was not there at the time, otherwise she would have made lunch for them.  Again, God showing us not to worry, He has it all in hand.  And God definitely has a sense of humour!

Sometimes, like now, I look in all the wrong places and feel disappointed when my plans of comfort or help do not pan out.  I dream up ways of how God is going to come through - and do not leave room for God who knows me way better than any person on earth!  I guess, I look to people – foremost those who are closest or to friends and also to the church and so on, but really with God there are no limits!  He can choose to use a falling-apart green truck with one light named Titus, a difficult old man, or whoever or whatever He picks for the job to help or top encourage.  My role is to accept it and trust Him and His ways and receive His comfort even if it is in an unconventional way!

God is always trustworthy!

Bella, looking forward to this day.