Moses & Me

I've often wondered, "What do I have in common with anyone in the old testament, like Abraham or Moses?" They are such grand people in the bible and seem so far removed from me~ a young(ish), white girl from Texas! Well...God has put on my heart a verse from Deuteronomy about Moses and I feel like I can kinda relate to him now! I blogged about it early on when I first got here, but i've learned more from this verse....read on...

"This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you." Deut.2:25

In other words:
God told Moses he would make the enemy nations afraid of Israel. By worldly standards, Israel's army was not intimidating, but Israel had God on its side. Moses no longer had to worry about his enemies because his enemies were worried about him. God often goes before us in our daily battles, preparing the way and overcoming barriers. We need to follow him wholeheartedly and be alert to his leading.

One reason this verse sticks out to me is because I was fearful of coming here and my safety. I have never felt threatened or scared on any of the previous trips, but this time was different b/c I would be living here! God keeps bringing this verse to my mind and this past week it has been heavy.

As you know I run with Katie and Gizmo- the lion-killer :) a few times a week. I am already a paranoid person when it comes to running by myself & now running in Africa BUT the Mozambicans (and others) are very, very fearful of dogs. Especially this kind of dog! When I first started running w/ K she told me that people literally jump out of the way and I admit I did not believe her totally...but now that I have been running w/ her for about 3 weeks I have seen it with my own eyes. Almost everyone we pass is scared/alarmed by Gizmo. They jump, gasp, run across the street, sprint in the opposite direction, yelp, & other actions you take when faced with a "scary" animal running at you.
The other day we ran around a corner & a guy was comng out of a gate and almost fell over backwards trying to get away! Today 3 little boys were playing in the street and as we rounded the corner they took off in a dead sprint in the opposite direction! One little boy ran all the way around the block and did not go back to his friends until we crossed the main street- now of course i am not scared of little boys playing in the street, but the older men & even guards who have machetes get out of our way...we then can hear them laugh & make fun of each other for being so scared. God has gone before me (&Katie) and provided us this wonderful dog to run with and make us feel safe.

"...they will tremble & be in anguish because of you..."

Don't get me wrong, I think the Mozambican people are lovely & friendly, and I don't think they are "out to get me" or are "my enemies" BUT I also don't want to be so naive to think that 2 young female americans are 100% safe in a 3rd world country.

I always pray in my head as we run, and I keep hearing God say,

"Relax Lindsay!!! I have already gone before you...literally, there is a huge dog that is bred to kill lions running in front of you!!!! What more do you want!? Relax and enjoy your run!"

And yet....i find myself still pleading w/ God on those runs to keep me & K safe and sound. I want to have the kind of faith that can ask Jesus and then not worry about it...i feel like He might forget or not keep me safe if I don't continuously ask Him. That is not the kind of faith I want. I want to trust Him and rest in that faith...and enjoy my run.
I love running w/ K and Gizmo. It is precious time for me...and I know God is with us every step of the way.

Who knew I could relate to Moses so well on a 3 mile run in 2007?