My Journey to Obedience

          August 2003, our oldest daughter begins to feel God’s calling to the mission field. One Sunday morning at church God told her to quit her job.  

“Whaaaat????” she said. God said it again.

“I have an apartment and a new car I need to pay for.”

           Then, she went to work and gave her boss the news. Following the discussion she went back to her office.  Total chaos filled the office, but as she sat in her office she was so at peace, a burden lifted off her shoulders. Yet, as she gazed up, in the midst of her thoughts, chaos still reigned in the office.   

          Her interest was Russia…she had been there during her college years with the Theater Department at Texas Christian University. Being reasonably familiar with her travels there, I was not overly concerned with her safety and well-being.  

“It was a safe place,” I thought. 

           Then, July 2004 she heads to the Missionary Learning Center in Virginia and that is where God showed her, once again, He is in charge. He will be with her wherever she goes. She arrived. Each day consisted of meetings, training, etc. Then one day, she looked on the board. The Russia assignment had been cancelled. She called me crying.

“I thought this was where God wanted me to go.”   

          I shared with her when God closes a door, he’ll open another one. I told her to spend the evening on her knees and in His word. God would show her where He was calling her to go. So the next day she called. 

“I’m going to India,” she said. 

My heart sank. I was so thankful she could not see my face.

At that moment I said to God, “we’ve got to talk. Really Lord, India? It’s really far away and NOT SAFE.”

          Her mission would be in Northern India, a place where there is so much unrest.  It would be an area of heavy Muslim influence, more primitive in its surroundings, and a region in dispute between India and Pakistan. She would have no personal knowledge or familiarity with her city of residence. 

As I was talking with the Lord, I asked, “Are you sure you want her to go there?”

          God certainly had another plan for her, one that would grow her and this mother and father in another area of obedience like never before. I realized how quickly the time would come to send our daughter away to the other side of the world, a place where she would be inaccessible to us. 

          And this is where my step of obedience began…I have always believed my children belonged to God. They are His, and He will take care of them.  But the reality hit home big time when she got this assignment. I realized that my words and feelings were going to require real actions and a real surrender. All of our children had been at a close distance, within driving distance, so this was going to be really different and quite honestly, I wasn’t comfortable with it.  Our whole family struggled with it. 
          We were sending our daughter of 24 years, yes I know she was an adult, but she was still my little girl. So I’m sending her off with someone we don’t know, on a plane to the other side of the world…ALONE!!   

          God taught me so many things in those two years about obedience. That if I would just trust Him and believe, He would take care of the rest. And ladies, that’s exactly what I did. The entire two years I stayed on my knees, and He showed me how Sovereign He is, how He keeps His promises, how He gives us strength when we think we can’t handle anymore, and that our purpose here on earth is to bring glory to His name. He kept her safe from so many things…things that could only be explained by God. His grace is sufficient. Our God is amazing!!!!!!!! 

          I prayed this daily…

Psalm 121: 7: The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life.

 Pat Riddle is a long time member of First Baptist Church Irving. She is wife to Phil Riddle and is the mother to 3 children and grandmother to 7 grandchildren. Pat served as the Food Services Director for many years. She is known for her giving and compassionate heart, her amazing skill in the kitchen, and as a woman, who serves her Lord.