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Give, Pray...and Go?

Del Lankford really cared about missions. Whenever she had a chance to hear a missionary speak about work on a foreign field, she went to the meeting. Avidly she drank their stories in, nodding her head. "Some pray, some give, and some go," she thought. "Since I'm in my forties now, I'm in the praying and giving crowd and it makes me happy to be part of it!"

Then one evening she heard a missionary from Japan tell of his work with a Christian mission. "We have a great need for secretaries both on the field and in the States and I urge you to pray that God will send these to us!"

Del nodded her head and smiled. As a long-time secretary she would certainly pray about this. At her age, it didn't occur to her to even consider answering the call herself.

As Del prayed, she opened her Bible and one particular verse stood out: "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth laborers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2). She circled the verse in her Bible and wrote beside it the prayer request. For some reason this laid a special burden on her heart for this need and every day she'd turn to the verse and pray.

"Lord," she said one day, "why do I have such a burden for this particular request? Surely You don't want me to give up my good job and go and do this?" As the burden continued, however, she said, "Lord, if answering this need is not Your will for me, please lift this burden!" But the need continued to press on her mind and heart.

Surrender to God
"All right, Lord," she finally said. "It doesn't make sense to me for woman my age to go out as a laborer for missions - but if this is what You want, open the way." Del soon found out that when you pray a prayer like that, you'd better mean it.
Then one day the regional vice president came from Atlanta to the branch office. "Our agency is going to merge with another," he said, "and only one employee will be needed here."

The four women in the office glanced at one another after the vice president left. "Well," exclaimed one, shrugging her shoulders, "we all have experience and I guess we won't have too much trouble getting other jobs."

Another woman glanced at Del. "It might be kind of hard for you to get another job at your age, Del. This must worry you to death!"

Even while the vice president had made his statement, however, God's perfect peace had filled Del's heart. This could the Lord's answer to her prayer! She smiled at her three co-workers. "I don't think I need to worry, girls," she exclaimed. "I think this is in God's plan for my life. I think He's pushing me out so that I will become a secretary for His glory."

"Hey, Del," said Shirley, whom she had asked to pray about her burden, "I knew you were praying about going to work for that Christian broadcasting association, but did you have to pray the whole office out of here?"

No definite plans had been made as to when the agency would disband, however. The only thing definite was that no one would replace Del's retiring boss, so Del wouldn't be a manager's secretary any longer. During the days that followed Del wondered and prayed about her future. If only she could be more certain of God's calling! How could one know for sure?

Seeking God's Will
Del decided to write to the missionary from Japan who had told of the broadcasting company's need for secretaries and let him know about her burden concerning this and of what was happening to her agency. He replied and suggested that she look into the possibility of moving to the Chicago office of her company.

"At this time," he said, "we do not have enough financial backing to support a full-time secretary at our Wheaton office, which is just outside of Chicago. But if God is in this, He'll make a way!"

When the regional supervisor in charge of personnel came from Atlanta to Del's office in Greenville, Del asked him, "Is there any possibility of my being transferred to Chicago?"

The supervisor nodded, picked up the phone, and called Chicago. When he hung up, he smiled at Del. "They need an experienced secretary up there," he said, "and if you'd like, we'll arrange for your immediate transfer. We'll take care of your transportation, the moving of your household goods and all incidental expenses. We'll even put you up in a hotel for two weeks after your arrival in Chicago while you look for a place to live - and pay for your meals during that time."

"Some pray, some give, and some go," she thought. "Since I'm in the praying and giving crowd, it makes me happy to be part of it!"

Is God Calling You?
Amazed at the way the Lord seemed to be opening the door beyond anything she expected, Del realized that He was thus revealing His will. She moved to Chicago, assumed her new position, and was able to begin doing the secretarial work for the Christian broadcasting company at night. When the work increased, she knew from all that had already happened that the Lord would make it possible for her to assume the position full time.

A number of older people have responded to the Lord's call to serve Him in some way in the "going" part of reaching the world for Christ and they are filling a great need. I know some like Del who are serving at mission headquarters as secretaries, and others who are carpenters, doctors, and radio announcers who are going forth to the mission fields either as part or full-time missionaries to use their special abilities for the furtherance of the gospel.

Still others, often those who are retired, are serving missions at home or abroad as volunteers, freely giving their time and talents to meet great needs and thus free the capital the missions do have to fulfill needs on the field.

When we pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into the field, are we willing to be part of the answer?

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Dr. Muriel Larson, author of 17 books and thousands of published writings and songs, is a Doctor of Religious Education, a certified professional counselor, long-time professional writer, counselor and speaker and has taught at writers' conferences across the United States. She also serves as an advice columnist for  Christian Women Today.