Don't Look Back
Henry Garlock was in Bible school, having answered the call to go and become a missionary.
And one day he received a letter from his mother asking him to come back home. It seems as if his father was very ill, as well as his brothers and there was nobody to do any work on the farm. And his mother, a strong Christian herself, wrote to him saying, please come back.
Divine Guidance Confirmed
Henry really wanted to become a missionary, but felt so compelled to go back home to help. But he thought he would spend some time praying about it.
And he opened his Bible and asked God to speak from the word. And his eyes fell on the verse in Luke 9:62, which says this: “No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
And he writes here, “I said, ‘surely Lord, this Scripture doesn't apply to me. It's just coincidence that I happen to turn to this verse. Please give me another Scripture to guide me in this decision.” He opened his Bible again and Matthew 10:37 stood out and said, "'He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”
And so he really wrestled with this because of his great love for his parents, who were in need. And so he continued to pray and seek God's guidance, and eventually morning came and he walked down to the chapel to have the morning service that happened at the school every day. And he said the speaker of the morning stood up and announced that he was going to be reading from Luke 9:62, which is the verse of Scripture about not turning back.
Faithful Obedience Rewarded
So he said he didn't even wait to hear the man's message but returned immediately and wrote to reply to his parents, saying that he couldn't come back. As it turns out, his father recovered well and there would have been no need for him to go back after all.
Shortly afterwards he received another letter from his home, in which his mother apologized for the earlier letter saying it was unfair for her to ask him to do that, and that his dad was healed completely and working better than he'd ever done before, and his younger brother was now stronger than working well. So he was glad that he'd followed not only his own convictions but what he'd read in God's word.
Two great sentences there in the Scripture today! If you're off on a mission for God, don't turn back. Keep going. And secondly, remember your priorities! God is first and if God has called you, be faithful to the calling that is placed on your life.
Of course, don't neglect your family and don't not make a difference when you can, but God has called you - follow through.
Just like it happened in Henry's life, that faithfulness to the call will make all the difference.
