The day after we arrived home in Atlanta from Africa, I smiled at the end of an outdoor Easter worship service when Matt Redman led his song entitled ’10,000 Reasons’:
Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soul
Worship His Holy Name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy Name
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your Name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find…
We know we have 10,000 reasons to praise God each day, but sometimes 10,000 worries consume our thinking and we neglect giving thanks. With all the miracles God performed to get our mission team to Namibia and back, one part of the story is still unresolved.
We had to make a quick decision in Atlanta to change airlines to try to catch the flight from Washington DC to Johannesburg. The cost was a little over $400 per person to fly to Dulles airport. Tragically, when the first leg of a multi-leg journey is missed, the airline’s reservation system drops a traveler from all the other legs of the journey. To reinstate, another charge of $250 per person was required to ensure we could get home. Adding the two charges and multiplying by fifteen gave a tidy debt of $10,000… 10,000 reasons to worry.
But God told us every day of our trip to rejoice in Him and to not be anxious about anything… He was near. Is this only true for the actual mission trip? Does God want us to live this way every day of our lives? Are there not serious matters we have to contend with each day? I don’t think I should casually say to my business director: “Relax. Quit worrying. Rejoice! Its only $10,000…”
I told our director of missions that I felt like I was going to a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill as we walked to a Tuesday meeting with our travel agency. Our business director wisely suggested that we all sit down and discuss our situation. Before the trip, I did not notice a time change on our e-tickets (which does not surprise people who know me, as I sometimes don’t notice if my socks match). The travel agency did not inform us of this huge change in our itinerary. We were all frustrated by the circumstances that created a ‘perfect storm’ in the travel world. All of us had something at stake.
But when we sat down together and realized we were all human with the potential of making mistakes, we had an excellent meeting. The $10,000 bill is not yet paid, but a fair solution looks a lot more hopeful. God was in the middle of our meeting… and we know He is not worried.
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forever more.
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” I Thessalonians 5:16-24