Saturday 24th January
Quiet your heart and mind. Breathe deeply and exhale slowly. Imagine going to a high place with Jesus. Let the excitement grow in you as you follow Him and wait for what He wants to show you.
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts."
Psalm 96:8
Ponder: What experiences in your life have filled your heart with amazement at God’s greatness?
Scripture
David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, Lord,the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:10-13
First, imagine Jesus is focusing on you, looking you right in the eye, and holding out a gift for you. Hear Him pray this over you. Read the blessing again slowly. What do you notice?
An improbable journey
It was one of the last important steps in an improbable journey that had begun almost three years earlier.
In August of 2022, Black Forest Academy had been confronted with the daunting task of replacing two no longer sustainable dorms, with new government-regulation-compliant dorms, at an estimated cost of 10 million USD, without adding mission-crippling debt, and all before January of 2026.
Over the next two years, one apparently insurmountable obstacle fell after another. First a building became unexpectedly available that was perfectly suited to our needs, and at a cost that was significantly cheaper than even our optimistic estimates. Then political and bureaucratic barriers began to crumble, followed by unprecedented giving from the BFA global community. But one major hurdle remained.
KVJS, the government body responsible for residential schools in Germany, needed to approve the building and our proposed renovations. Just days before the 2025 graduation, the head inspector for KVJS arrived and we all held our breath. The hour-long tour through the site was full of questions from the inspector, some concerned expressions, and the occasional shaking of the head. Then, at the end of the tour, the onslaught of questions started.
“How did you hear about this building? Am I right that it will allow you to have three fully equipped dorms instead of two? And the town has been supportive of this project? And the school campus is how far from the dorm? 200 meters?" And on and on the rhetorical questions came. Finally, the inspector just shook his head and said, “It’s as though this building was made for you. You are so LUCKY!"
Lucky is the only explanation that a secular bureaucrat could offer for the miracle that he had just witnessed, but we knew different. God’s people had been praying and God had done it.
Phil Dow, Head of School, Black Forest Academy, Germany
Tell God what you noticed about His working in this story. Tell God how this makes you feel about Him. Speak out 5 attributes of God that this story makes you think of. ‘God you are…’
