If you’ve been a Christian for very long, you’ve probably heard, quoted, or even owned a mug with Psalm 46:10 on it. You know, the one that starts, “Be still & know that I am God…” The verse is used all over paintings, mugs, pillows, you name it. But do you know how the verse ends? The second half of the verse, I would even argue the more important part of the verse, is the declaration and hope that brings David courage to fight on. It reads, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth”. We find stillness and hope in our God BECAUSE we can know that His purpose will triumph, that He has won the victory, that the earth WILL be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord!!
Since God first whispered His promise to Abraham to make him into a great nation and bless all the families of the earth through him, scripture is weaved together with the very heart of God – that all the corners of the earth would know Him. So many of our favorite Bible stories reach their climax with God’s name being made famous in all the earth – the Exodus, David and Goliath, Solomon’s Wisdom, Jonah, Daniel in the Lions Den, Noah, etc. They all end with God sharing His purpose, that His name would be proclaimed to all the corners of the earth so that the earth will be filled with people who give their lives to worshipping God.
It’s no surprise, then, that Jesus’ final words to His disciples are to go and make disciples of every nation, to fill every corner of the world with God worshippers. It wasn’t just a command to those 11 disciples, it was a commissioning to every believer who would follow. He calls each of us to join in the purpose of God and to give our lives to making Him famous in all of the earth. As Christians, if we claim to follow Jesus, then we must give ourselves to the mission of God with great confidence that the victory is already won! We rejoice in verses like Habakkuk 2:14 and Psalm 46:10, knowing that our labors are not in vain and that the earth WILL be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
With God’s heart for the nations in mind, did you know that over 40% of the world has no access to the Gospel? They’ve never heard of a man named Jesus or that there is a God who loves them. I’m not talking about the family down the street that doesn’t go to church. They have access, they have churches on every corner. 2.8 billion people have no ACCESS to the Gospel, no one who speaks their language has heard the story of Jesus. A billion is a really big number so to put that into perspective – if you were to live 100 years, you would be alive for 3.15 billion seconds. For nearly every second of your life, there is a person in the world who has no way of hearing the story of Jesus.
If God’s heart is for all the world to know the hope of the Gospel and still 40% of the world can’t even hear the Gospel if they want to, then we can’t call ourselves followers of Christ and do nothing. There are no special Christians who are called to move overseas or to share the Gospel with their coworkers. As Christians, Christ followers, we have already been called to make disciples of all nations. We see God’s heart for the nations weaved throughout all of Scripture and we see Christ commissioning the disciples out – this is our calling and purpose in life, to make Him known in all the earth. Friend, we can go out with so much hope and courage because we KNOW the victory is already won! Jesus WILL be known in all the earth!!
This is something that is so near and dear to my heart, so of course it ended up in my book of prayers and letters for my daughter. Terrifying as it may be, I pray fervently that my husband and I will model well what it means to give our lives to making Jesus famous in all of the earth and that our sweet girl will follow in our footsteps.
Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Praise Book | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd .25 Pen | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd .65 Pen | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd She Blooms Washi Tape | Illustrated Faith Wild Love Journal Printable | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Date Stamp | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Whatever is Lovely Sticker | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Go & Tell Stickers | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Homespun # Stickers One in a Melon | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Homespun Alpha Stickers One in a Melon | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Homespun Alpha Stickers Hey Sugar Sugar | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Wordfetti White Stickers | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Big and Bold Hey Sugar Sugar | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Big and Bold Black Eyed Peas
