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The Ministry Wife

Selfless Courage

By Sandra Moats

God has the ability to fill His people with selfless courage. A necessary quality in times of danger or distress, courage involves a person’s mind, spirit, temper, disposition and behavior. Courage defies the odds and enables a person to use their skill and wit in any circumstance. Selfless courage overrules self-preservation and carries bravery to the point of heroism. You can’t just muster up selfless courage. God is the only one who gives that kind of gift. It comes with obedience to His will.
In March 1997, I arrived deep in the interior of China. It was the middle of the night, the airport was dark, and no one spoke English. A Chinese man appearing to be a cabbie approached me. I followed him, carrying my 95-pound backpack to the parking lot where another man was waiting with a car. He motioned for me to get in, but I noticed the vehicle had no cab light on top.
Shaking my head I said, “No. I’ll wait.”

Thanking God for keeping me safe, I found some legitimate taxis at the other end of the airport. None of the drivers could speak English, but all wanted to take me to my hotel.

I prayed, “Lord, how can I explain where I will be staying?” I looked up, and in front of me was a lighted billboard for the hotel where I had a reservation. “Thank you, Jesus.”

I pointed to the billboard, and motioned for one cabbie to drive me to the hotel. He nodded his head like he understood me. After loading my backpack in the back seat, we drove nearly an hour on the freeway when the cabbie opened the glove box and pulled out a flyer for another hotel. He smiled and nodded his head.

I prayed silently. “Dear God, he doesn’t even know where I am going! It is the middle of the night, and I am in the car with a man I can’t talk to, in a city of over 6 million people. I need Your help!”

Soon, I saw another lighted billboard bearing the name of my hotel. I pointed to the sign, nodded my head and thanked the Lord.

The hotel manager spoke English, and after checking me in he asked, “Did you come here alone? Where did you come from? Why are you here?”

I told him, “I am here to look for a special little girl in an orphanage.”

He looked at me seriously and said, “You are very brave!”

I had never thought of myself as being brave, but it took courage beyond my own to make that first trip to China alone. It was not in me, it came from God. It was selfless because it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I went in obedience to the clear word of the Lord to find Faith, the little girl He showed me, and to bring her home.
Maybe God’s calling you to step outside of your realm of experience to do something new for Him. He promises that if we’ll obey Him, He’ll fill us with the strength and courage we need to succeed.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged… for there is a greater power with us… With us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:7,8).

SANDRA MOATS is the mother of ten, homeschooler, author, magazine and newspaper writer, Assembly of God minister serving as pastor's wife, and assistant pastor at New Hope Assembly of God in Pinehurst, Idaho. She holds a master's degree and is working on her doctorate in Biblical Studies. She is a representative for Voice of the Martyrs in Idaho.