My friend and I were planning a ministry trip to South Asia. A couple weeks before our flights, we received terrible news. In the state we were going to minister, a pastor had associated with a foreigner, and his neighbors had turned him in to the police. Right before our trip, he was released and the news about the incident spread throughout the state. As a response, two out of three of our planned events were canceled, not to mention that our trip could put those associating with us at risk, too!

We had been put into a box in ministry.

Joseph is a prime example of being stuck in a box. First, his brothers threw him into a cistern. Then he became a slave. Then box after box!

Yet he was faithful while he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. While in prison, he interpreted the cupbearer’s dream only to have the man forget him. Joseph was placed into a box. Potiphar noticed his faithfulness and put him in charge of his whole house. The prison warden noticed his faithfulness and put him in charge of the prison. Yay for overseeing a little box, right? Despite his circumstances, he kept being faithful to God. Then came the moment when God blew everybody’s minds. Pharaoh had Joseph brought out of prison to interpret his dream and then to place him in charge of the whole country.

Joseph’s perspective radically changed. When he finally met his brothers, his response was incredible: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives,” (Genesis 50:20).

When two out of three events in my trip to South Asia were canceled, my friend and I decided that it did not matter if we were put in jail in a foreign country, we would be faithful to God’s call and go anyway. Within days, bigger opportunities came for our ministry in the region, and the impact was much greater than we had originally hoped. God rewarded our faithfulness under constraints by using those same constraints to do what only He could do.

Right now, we are stuck in a box.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, people all over the world are currently stuck in their houses, not knowing what the future looks like, and surrounded by fear. It feels like we can’t do much.

Let’s be faithful in our box. Instead of focusing on what we cannot do and simply trying to squelch our own anxiety, let’s lift our eyes off self and focus on what we CAN do.

We CAN pray, we CAN share encouraging portions of the Word of God with each other to build each other’s faith, and we CAN share the good news of Jesus Christ in ways that were not open to us before.

People all over the world are stuck in the same box. They are bored, scared, and just looking for a bit of hope. We have the best hope there is in Jesus Christ! We have the peace that the entire world craves, we have the love and we have the joy. And we have access to them in the middle of the worst circumstances. In fact, we may have even more access than before. A friend from a creative access country posted that they can now connect virtually in ways that were not permitted before.

So, how will you be faithful in your box?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

What am I passionate about?

Who is currently doing something about it?

How can I join them?

If that doesn’t grab you, find what does and find a way to get involved through prayer, giving, signing up, and encouraging others to do the same.

People are more ready for Jesus now than ever. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19).

Pray, consider, and “go” in whatever way you CAN.

Written by a GFM Staff Member