Haggai Said It

Attempt something so great for God it’s doomed to failure unless God be in it.

Prominently displayed on the wall of my church is a challenge phrased by John Haggai; “Attempt something so great for God it’s doomed to failure unless God be in it.” That challenge dwelled in my mind for years as I wondered what could I do that would be so great, what could I pursue that would require so much faith. Eventually, I forgot about it, until one recent evening as I sat at my desk. Exhausted from my fundraising, marketing and lobbying efforts, I wondered how in the world I was going to bring to the Gwinnett community the new Good Samaritan Health Center I said I would deliver. As I was admitting to myself “I” wasn’t going to pull it off, I remembered Haggai’s challenge. So I prayed, “God, move me out of the way. Please, take charge of what is yours and make this happen if it be your will. And please, let me be a witness to it.”

How great is our goal? Nearly 200,000 people in our community do not have health insurance and nearly 400,000 do not have dental insurance. We are reaching only a small portion of those people, yet we want to be the healthcare sanctuary for the uninsured of our area. We want to be the backbone of charity medical and dental care for Gwinnett, and we want to be that solely for the glory of God. Now that’s a big goal, indeed, that’s huge. That’s so much greater than me it’s doomed to failure unless God be in it.

I want you to dwell a moment on our goal.

How can God use you to achieve His objective, to heal the sick and use that encounter to introduce His creation into a lifesaving relationship with Him? I offer you two possibilities. First, if you are a healthcare provider, you could give a portion of your time to this ministry and help care for our patients. Second, if you have been blessed with sufficient financial means, you could offer a donation to help make the envisioned new Good Samaritan Health Center a reality. Should you believe you are to be used differently, I encourage you in that direction, but please, let what you do be something so great for God that you surprise even yourself with what you’ve done.

I want to extend my sincerest thanks to our volunteers who have given more than 13,400 hours to this ministry this year. Your gift of time provides endless benefits to our patients, and your commitment to their health is truly appreciated.

To those of you who have offered financial gifts this year, please know we are both grateful and indebted to you. Your gifts allow us to be merciful to those who so often go without; we could not accomplish what we do if not for your favor.

For you all, I pray, may you be blessed in abundance so that you may bless with abandon!