Thread of Grace

I sat ten feet away from an outdoor stage where Loren and Darlene Cunningham were sharing about where God has brought Youth With a Mission over the past several years. Loren mentioned the time 50 years ago when YWAM was merely a few students walking in obedience to a word from God that young people would be sent out to all the nations of the earth. Now the Kona base alone hosts 600+ students each quarter.

He said he had no idea where this vision would take him. He simply obeyed.

The amazing part is that as he was sharing there I was, a young person directly impacted by the inheritance and mission of YWAM. Because of this one man's obedience--and thousands of others--I now have a deeper relationship with the Lord and am walking with Him when before I had felt like giving up.

Then I turned to the lady next to me. A recent cancer survivor, still weak, who's had a rough life. A week ago I met her at a restaurant and after a short conversation and a prayer, she eagerly surrendered her life to Jesus for the first time. Because of one man's obedience--and thousands of others--and mine--this lady now knows her Savior and has newfound hope in Jesus! And who knows how many lives she will touch with the Gospel!

When we make a choice, it impacts us. It impacts others. It impacts generations.

I was close to tears as Darlene asked us to pray for the person who had led us to the Lord. The lady next to me laid her hand on my shoulder--the first time she'd ever prayed for someone else!--and prayed for me. And in turn I prayed for all my leaders and people who had shared God's love with me.

I am so amazed right now at the thread of grace that goes through all of human history, that God wants to include all of us in His story. Not just as a side-statement but as a crucial character!

Feeling so blessed to share the Gospel with others and to know God!