Week 24: Psalm 91
Psalm 91
At the ripe old age of 22, I packed my bags and moved to Chihuahua, Mexico. Yes, you read that right–I lived in the city of Chihuahua, which was in the state of Chihuahua. Just like New York, New York, but a little different. Seven years prior to this international move, I traveled to Mexico City on a mission trip with my local church. I fell in love with Mexican culture and told myself I was going to return one day and teach elementary school. This dream was pushed to the back burner when I arrived at the University of Georgia with a voracious appetite to do and see it all. However, when senior year rolled around, I read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan in a Bible study with my pastor's wife. This book details the lives of many people who did “crazy” things for Jesus by sacrificing their comforts for a life poured out to Him. Upon reading this book, the Lord impressed upon my heart that it was time to revive the dream He had given me and return to Mexico. But how could I do this when I knew not one soul who lived there and my parents expected me to attend grad school in the fall?
When I moved to Mexico, people were in complete disbelief. Perhaps because they had heard of Chihuahua, but not for the right reasons. Chihuahua was constantly featured on the news as drug cartels were making the city increasingly unsafe through violent crime. I look back on my boldness in moving there and realize that the saying is true–“You don't know what you don't know.” Young, carefree, and mostly innocent to the ways of the world, my decision was simple. I set out to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth–even if it meant a major city in Mexico with virtually no Black people that was characterized by dirty drug money and good cheese.
Long story short–God provided for me in every way:
Spiritually
– Through giving me mentors and peers who were also investing in missions work after graduation
Through showing me over and over again in His Word that I was on the right path
Financially
Through supporters who believed in what I was doing and gave to help me make ends meet each month
Relationally
Through a roommate that ended up being a wonderful friend
Through amazing fellow missionaries who told me their stories and let me learn from the way they lived
Professionally
Through mentor teachers who helped me make it through my first two years of teaching
Emotionally
Through incredibly specific ways of loving me that I couldn't explain apart from a supernatural work of the Lord
Physically
Through sending His guardian angels to watch over me, protect me, and keep me from harm's way
Psalm 91:1-2 states, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” The verses that follow declare confidence in the Most High God to care for a believer who is at the mercy of God alone. When I moved to Mexico, I had no choice but to rely on God to be my everything. I had nothing to offer except a willing heart and a teachable spirit.
And God, true to His word, met me there. He did not leave me alone, because that is not Who He is. He is Emmanuel, God with us, and He cares for our every need.
Sister, whether you are making a huge life change or attempting to find joy in the mundane of your ordinary life, know that He is ready and willing to be your shelter, your refuge, and your deliverer. There may be times when you feel as though you have no idea where to turn–embrace those times and trust that He is with you every step of the way. Emulate the psalmist and remember, “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”
Cry out to him in the midst of your wait, your struggle, and your fear. He knows your name, and He is ready to protect you, even when it feels like things just don't make sense. He will always be enough, because He is the all-sufficient One.
-Jessica
