What Do You Want from Me, God?

This article was written by Chad McDaniel, Sr. School Advisor for World Vision. It is a paid promotion.

What do you want from me, God? I asked this question as I sought to move the churches I served beyond arguments around music styles, the placement of donuts (true story), and whether hats and coffee would be allowed in the sanctuary.

One day, the Lord grabbed my attention while reading Galatians. In Galatians 2, Paul tells a story about a trip to Jerusalem to meet with those who had walked with Jesus. As he starts new churches, Paul wants to make sure he is teaching and preaching correctly. The disciples affirm Paul’s ministry and encourage him to remain focused on a particular issue, it’s easy to miss.

In Galatians 2:10, Paul writes, “Their only suggestion was that we keep on ___________________, which I have always been eager to do.” (NLT)

Pause: How would you fill in the blank? What element of following Jesus did they emphasize?

The answer: “Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor…”

What does God want from us? Help the poor. Remember those experiencing poverty. In my ministry experience, this was often low on the list of priorities discussed at church board meetings and the list of concerns filling my inbox. What should I do?

About this time, a staff member from World Vision asked whether my church would be interested in running the Los Angeles Marathon to raise awareness and funds for clean water projects. I learned about the tragic reality of the millions of women and children who walk for dirty water that makes the community sick and takes the lives of half the children before the age of 5. I enthusiastically said “yes,” but admit I was a bit confused. I wanted to equip people with clean water – to help the poor – but did I really need to run a marathon to do it?!

Here’s what I discovered: when God’s people say “yes” to doing hard things on behalf of others, lives are changed. When we align our hearts with the things that break the heart of God, transformation occurs. Training together created community and space for conversations around faith, life, and prayer. We were united in our goal of reaching the finish line and equipping communities with access to clean water. After the race, three young women committed their lives to Christ and were baptized. One reflected, “Before joining the team and moving my feet for clean water, I never thought Christians cared about anything but themselves.”

The Lord had my attention, and this was just the beginning of my World Vision journey.

Today, I have the privilege of serving at World Vision to provide resources that ignite the hearts of the next generation to tackle issues of global poverty in Jesus’ name. Our videos and curriculum are perfect for summer camp, VBS, Sunday school, or weekly programming. I have the privilege of interacting with leaders like YOU! I’ve spoken in front of pre-K kiddos, high schoolers, and every age in between. In each opportunity, I can make one guarantee: when an image appears of children standing in filthy water alongside the farm animals who share the water source, you can hear a pin drop.

The next generation is wired to make a difference – to be world changers – and they’re looking to leaders like YOU to say “yes” to equip them for action. They’re looking to leaders like YOU to demonstrate how faith in Christ motivates and empowers people to take on the world’s biggest challenges. It’s YOUR opportunity to demonstrate that Christians are not sitting on our hands as the world burns. No! We are on the front lines, in some of the hardest places to reach, finding solutions to problems such as women and children walking miles and miles for dirty water.

Since 1950, World Vision has always been Christ-centered, child-focused, and community empowering. We work in over 100 countries to provide tools, training, and resources to communities in great need. We believe in the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Our sustainable development model brings hope to women and children who are struggling, is a catalyst for generational change, and reminds each and every person we serve that they are created in the image and likeness of God who sees them, knows them, and loves them.

At World Vision, we want to walk alongside leaders like you to ignite the hearts of the children and families in your ministry to be on fire for the very things that are near to the heart of God. Returning to that passage in Galatians, we want to help you show young people that followers of Jesus have ALWAYS been about running toward the world’s biggest challenges.

Let us help you ignite a movement of compassion, empathy, and generosity in the children and families at your church. My hope and prayer is that more Christian leaders, like Paul, would be able to respond to the call to help the poor, saying, “It’s the very thing we’ve been eager to do.”

For more information, contact a World Vision team member at: [email protected], or visit our website.

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