I am willing to go anywhere, at anytime, to do anything for Jesus. -Luther Wishard
These words flowed from the lips of Luther Wishard in 1878 as he gave himself over to the mission of Christ. As he leaned up against the Haystack Prayer Meeting monument in Williamstown, Massachusetts he prayed, “Lord, do it again. Where water once flowed, let it flow again.” History informed his prayer. Years earlier in 1806 five students from near by Williams College met in that very spot to pray and discuss the spiritual needs of the people of Asia. The students had met in Sloan’s meadow and were in mid-discussion when a thunderstorm interrupted their meeting and caused them to seek shelter inside of one the haystacks that doted the meadow. While the students enjoyed their shelter, their discussion faded and they began to pray intensely for the people of Asia. The rain eventually dissipated but a river began to flow that day. A great missionary river of prayer, people and resources began to flow into foreign lands. Today, many scholars call the Haystack Prayer Meeting a seminal moment for American missions.
When Luther prayed God did indeed answer. Luther became the first full time staff member of a new ministry called the Young Christian Men’s Association. His mission field was not on foreign soil but the streets of large urban areas in his own country.
God is calling. Will you be willing to go anywhere, at anytime, and do anything for Jesus? Our family prayer is that we would see Christ clearly and follow him closely. We are willing to give up here, right now and follow Christ to Ecuador. Will you seek him today? He may be calling you to follow him into foreign lands, or he may be calling to you to follow him into the familiar surroundings of your homeland. It is not a matter of if he is calling, it is a matter of if you will follow him.
May you see Christ clearly and may you follow him closely!
In His Grip,
The Downings
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