Before They Call, I Will Answer: A JFA Bible Worker Story
"Where should we start our visitation?" Emmanuel prayed silently. He and some friends had just arrived in a village in their area where there were no Christians. They planned to go door-to-door, sharing the Gospel.
They had just arrived at the outskirts of the village and parked their bikes under a mango tree when Emmanuel decided to pray and ask for God's direction.
Just as soon as Emmanuel said "amen," he saw a man coming down the road. He went toward the man to meet him. "Hello, uncle," Emmanuel said. The man, whose name was Joy, greeted him kindly, and they began to talk.
Emmanuel noticed that Joy looked tired as if he had come from far away, and he offered him some of his water. Joy was hesitant at first, but Emmanuel insisted. "Please, you must be very thirsty."
Gratefully, Joy took the bottle and drank.
"Where are you going, uncle?" Emmanuel asked Joy when he had finished.
"I am coming [home] from my cornfield," Joy replied. "Where are you from? And where are you going?"
"This team and I have come from another village to share good health messages and the salvation message to the people of this village." Emmanuel shared. "We will be happy to start with you if you would like to listen."
"Come, my house is nearby; we will sit and talk." Joy took them to his house, gave them a place to sit, and offered them water to drink.
With his permission, Emmanuel shared the Gospel with Joy and his family. He explained that through Jesus' death and resurrection, Joy and his family could have hope for eternal life. Joy was silent for a while after listening to Emmanuel's message, pondering what he had learned.
Before leaving, Emmanuel prayed for Joy's family and promised him that he would come back to visit his family again. That day, Emmanuel and his ministry partners were able to see eight other families before going home.
In Isaiah 65:24, God says, "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."
Although we do not yet know the end of Joy's story, we can say for sure that God had a plan for Emmanuel to share the Gospel with Joy and his family that day. Even before Emmanuel prayed, God led both men to the right spot at just the right time so they could meet each other. If either Joy or Emmanuel had come a little bit late, they could have never met at all.
God knows what we need before we need it. We can trust that He is already at work to take care of our needs. Even more than our personal needs, we can trust that He is working to draw people like Joy to Himself. Whether or not we see immediate results, like Emmanuel, we can pray in faith, confident that He will answer.
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