The Journey, Never the Arrival

There is a strange comfort in realizing this simple truth we never arrive before God. Whether we’re walking into a new job, stepping into a foreign land, or simply opening a door to conversation, He’s already there.

This truth reshapes how we think about mission, ministry, and even everyday moments. From the Saudi Arabian student who unexpectedly asked about The Passion of the Christ, to the hardened Kenyan man who suddenly opened his heart to Jesus these moments weren’t engineered by man. They were orchestrated by a God who goes before us.

God’s Presence Is Not an Afterthought

We often overestimate our role in bringing the gospel to others. But Scripture consistently reminds us that God’s presence doesn’t follow our obedience it precedes it. In the Great Commission, Jesus didn’t just send His disciples to make more disciples; He sealed His command with a promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

This is not just a comforting add-on. It’s the foundation of all fruitful ministry. When God called Moses to confront Pharaoh, He answered Moses’s fear not with a strategy but with a promise: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). When Isaac was told to sojourn in a foreign land, God’s reassurance wasn’t safety or success, but simply, “I will be with you” (Genesis 26:3).

The gospel doesn’t move forward by our charisma, creativity, or control but by the presence of God working ahead of us.

The Fruit of Knowing God Goes Before Us

Three qualities grow when we trust God’s omnipresence humility, patient perseverance, and boldness.

1. Humility Over Self-Sufficiency

When we understand that God goes before us, we shed the illusion that success in ministry comes from our skill. Prayerlessness is the red flag of self-reliance. It signals that we’ve started believing that results depend on us. But true humility draws us back to dependence, to prayer, and to the quiet strength of remembering we are never alone in our work.

2. Patience With God’s Timing

We live in a culture addicted to quick wins and immediate impact. But God's kingdom often moves slowly faithfully, methodically, eternally. Seven years of seemingly fruitless ministry in the Arabian Peninsula eventually gave way to years of abundance. Why? Because God’s timing doesn’t run on our clock. He works all things for His glory in His own time.

Patience doesn’t mean passivity. It means enduring in obedience even when we don’t see the fruit right away. It means planting seeds knowing that someone else may harvest them or that we might harvest what someone else faithfully planted long before.

3. Boldness Without Fear

When Paul was tempted to flee Corinth after opposition, Jesus met him with this word: “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking . . . for I am with you” (Acts 18:9–10). The promise of God’s presence silences our fears and empowers our boldness.

Silence in the face of gospel opportunity is often fear masquerading as politeness. Biblical boldness isn’t brash or loud it’s simply readiness to speak the truth in love, even when it feels risky.

Your Only Job: Be Ready to Speak

The Kenyan man who knocked on a missionary’s door late at night was not there by accident. He needed a place to sleep, but God had prepared his heart to receive the gospel. The missionary didn’t conjure the opportunity. He simply opened the door and was willing to open his mouth.

God had gone before. The gospel had been sown by another, long before. And now the moment of harvest came, not through brilliance or persuasion, but through a faithful yes.

So what does this mean for us?

• Don’t overthink divine appointments. Simply show up.

• Don’t idolize the method. Trust the Master.

• Don’t stay silent when the door opens. Speak the name of Jesus.

You will never arrive before God. He is already at work in the hearts of your neighbors, in the questions of your coworkers, in the midnight wrestling of your friends. Your job is not to make God move. Your job is to move where God is already at work.

You’re not the fire. But you carry the match. Be ready to strike it.

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