“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Habakkuk 2:14
Reflections from Kurt Dillinger:
Malta, a breathtaking island and one of the smallest countries in Europe, is steeped in history and has been strategically significant in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. Located 50 miles south of Sicily, it boasts some of the oldest and most beautiful architectural structures known to the world in a sub-Mediterranean climate that is warm and inviting, just like its people. It is here that the vision the Lord gave me for a global gathering for life became a life-changing reality. I had been to several conferences on the island of Malta. The small island nation is significant for its culture, location, and, perhaps even more interestingly, its notable ties to Christianity. The Bible records how God used Paul to bring the gospel to Malta when he was shipwrecked there as a Roman prisoner. In the book of Acts, Luke details how the Maltese people cared for Paul and his shipmates by welcoming them and giving them food and shelter when they washed up on shore. One lesson from this story in Acts is that God faithfully brings about His purposes even when we cannot see the path through our own doubt and fears.
This past October, I found myself heading toward a different kind of “shipwreck” as the Global Congress still needed full funding, and we were less than two months away from the event. I was experiencing building pressure and nagging doubts as I wondered if I had heard God correctly. What if I had only thought God wanted me to organize a global congress, but I was wrong? The thought of being unable to see it through after bringing so many people this far was a tremendous burden and one of the most significant tests of my faith. One day, while driving home from the LIFE offices with North American Hub Chairman Larry Gadbaugh, I received a phone call from one of our board members who said, “Kurt, the Lord has laid it on my heart to give LIFE $100,000.” That was the moment that God re-convicted my heart. The message was the same, but now it came through loud and clear to my spirit: “Kurt, I’ve got this.” Deep in my soul, I knew that He did, and I was overwhelmed by His goodness. Little did I know, that donation was seed money for what was yet to come. I am not proud of my weakness during that time, but it is part of the story of how God is faithful and that this is His work and His alone. In His abundance and grace, over the next ten days, we received donations totaling over $800,000 from unexpected sources, which brought us to complete funding for the Malta gathering! Isn’t it brilliant how God uses all kinds of circumstances to show us that we are not in control, and as a direct result, He gets all the glory? He uses us in our weakness to display His magnificence and bring about His purposes. Humbled, we are then in the proper position to marvel at His beauty and fall to our knees in worship!
To read/view the whole Malta Summary with photos and a QR code to a short video, please click here: LIFE Malta Newsletter
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