“For a long time when I felt compelled to do something, I would pray, God, what do you want to do through me? What I have learned along the way is that often my first prayer should be, God what do you want to do in me? Because the work God does in you will lead to the work God wants to do through you.”- Kyle Idleman (emphasis Kyle’s)
In Chapter 2 (“In Then Through”) of One At a Time, Kyle Idleman talks about a 2010 family mission trip to the Dominican Republic. On Kyle’s second day, an earthquake awakened him. But Pastor Idleman learned that the massive earthquake devastated Haiti. Two hundred fifty thousand people lost their lives. More than three hundred people sustained injuries. And five million people were displaced.
Next, Kyle found himself heading for Haiti in a tiny plane filled with emergency supplies. After landing, Kyle walked through the streets of a small Haitian town called Jacmel. And then, with zoom lens, he saw her. A little girl, about two years old, sitting all by herself. Crying, she lifted her arms for Kyle to pick her up and hold her. Consequently, Pastor Idleman thought, I need to do something.
A few months after his return, Kyle found a picture someone had taken of Kyle holding that little girl. Then that picture started turning up on his screen saver rotation. Hence, even though Kyle was no longer in Haiti or holding the little girl in his arms, He couldn’t shake the thought, I need to do something. Because, Pastor Idleman observes, that’s the power of one.
However, the author stresses, when we experience enough moments of feeling like we should do something but not knowing what to do, we learn to silence that voice. Rather than I need to do something, we replace it with Somebody should do something. We just don’t know what to do.
Yet, we really want to skip the in and go right to the through. But God’s approach is consistently in then through.
Today’s question: When you feel compelled to do something, what do you first pray? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A little pencil in His hand”
