Helen Rosavere is an English woman who was interested in becoming a doctor and serving God. Upon completion of her medical training at Cambridge University, Helen began to ask God where he would want her to serve. Before long, God directed Helen to an area in the Congo (Africa), which had a population of over 200,000 people and not one doctor in the whole area. This meant that she would be working seven days a week, always on call, with no time off, and when a medical emergency arose, she would have to take care of it.
Soon a hospital and training center were needed. It was a great need and there was just no way Helen could build it. Helen then cried out to God, “Surely, Lord, there is at least one man in England who could come and build a hospital!” But Helen heard nothing.
Later, Helen wrote a letter to her parents and asked them to send her a book on how to build a hospital. Her parents couldn’t find a book on how to build a hospital, but they did send a book on how to build bricks. When Helen received the book, she cried out to God again, “Surely, Lord, there is at least one man from England who could come and build bricks for the hospital.”
No man arrived. So, in the midst of Helen’s busy schedule, she followed the instructions. She made the bricks to be put in the kiln to be fired. After the bricks were dried, the rough edges had to be sanded down. One day, as she was sanding, she noticed a wet substance on the brick and realized it was her own blood.
“Surely, Lord, there is a man somewhere in England who could come and make these bricks.”
At that time a man came running up to Helen and told her of an emergency at the dispensary. With her fingers still bleeding, Helen went to take care of the man. When she entered the scrub room, she began to take a wire brush and scrub her raw fingers. The pain made her more irate. She began to yell at God in her spirit, “Surely, Lord, there is at least one man in all of England who could come and make bricks for the hospital.”
The attendant began to pour alcohol over her fingers. The pain was excruciating. Then Helen put on her gloves and did what she had to do. Following the surgery, Helen went back out to begin working on the bricks. While out there, one of the nationals approached her and began to talk to her. He said, “Doc, we do know that you love and care for us. When you enter the operating room wearing your mask and gown and use your ability to heal the sick, you frighten us. But when you come out here and work with the rest of us and bleed the same as we do, we realize that you are one of us.”
Helen, for the first time, realized why there was no man from England who could come to help. God said to her, “I didn’t have you come here just to heal the sick, Helen. I brought you here to befriend these people in order that they may see me through you.” Helen thanked the Lord. She then realized that God didn’t call her to be a medical missionary, but he called her to himself. I must first come to Him before I can go for Him.
God calls us to Himself. Before you can teach others His word, before you can sing to others about His grace, before you can preach to others about His cross, before you can tell others about His love, you must say like Paul said in Philippians 3:10: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” To know Him in His power, to know Him in fellowship and to know Him in death to self, self ambition and self righteousness.
If you want to serve this Jesus and be effective for Him then you are going to have to first come to Him and only then can you go for Him.
Watch sermons and read sermon texts and other articles online at tomahawkmbc.com. Listen to Pastor Jack Ward’s sermons on WSIP FM 98.9 every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Watch his sermons on his Facebook page “Jack Ward.”