Stop. Drop. And…

If you happen to catch yourself on fire, what do you do? You stop what you’re doing. You drop to the ground. And you Roll.

Stop.
Drop.
Roll.

It’s one of the first lessons kids learn in school, because, short of jumping in a lake, it’s the quickest, easiest, and safest way to put the fire out.

So what if we applied this concept to other problems in our lives? But rather than dropping to the ground and rolling around, we dropped to our knees and started to pray with the same immediacy we’d use to put out a fire. SDP:

Stop.
Drop.
Pray.

In 2 Chronicles 20, the Moabites, the Ammonites and others teamed up to battle against King Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was terrified, but instead of immediately preparing his army, he sought after God and proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah. He had no idea how to defeat the vast armies set to destroy his people, but he prayed and trusted God to provide a solution. As Jehoshaphat continued to surrender himself to God’s leading, the enemy armies destroyed each other while his men lifted their voice in praise to their Redeemer.

God still does this today. He is ready and willing to come to our aid when we submit our problems to Him. The more quickly we do so when problems arise, the more quickly He can get to work and the more peace we can experience.

Last Wednesday, Jon Wood, Jesus for Asia President, came into our office and told us we needed to SDP.

Jon told us about a message he had just received from Kasey Norton, one of our missionaries who was visiting America from Thailand. She and her daughter Hannah had tickets to return to Thailand the following Sunday, but Hannah’s application for her certificate of entry had been denied four times. Each time for a different reason.

With only a few days before their flight, they knew there was nothing they could do except bring the need to God.

Kasey and Hannah prayed with the friends they were staying with, and we put down our work and gathered in our office to pray. We prayed for God to stop satan if he was making trouble. We also prayed that, according to His will, He would send His Holy Spirit to the Embassy to work in the hearts of the officials so Hannah’s certificate could be approved before Sunday. We also prayed for God to give Kasey and Hannah peace that He had the situation under control.

A few hours later, we received another message saying that the certificate was finally approved!

This wasn’t the end of the obstacles Kasey and Hannah faced in getting back to Thailand, but each time God stepped in at the exact moment they needed Him most. 

Kasey and Hannah had been given a covid test by a doctor friend. When they got to the airport, they found out that the check-in counter didn't open until two hours before their flight. Once it opened, the airline did not like the paperwork and denied them boarding. They waited in faith, knowing that God had this in control. They sent messages to friends and JFA HQ and we all prayed. Here is the text exchange between Jon and Kasey:

SUN 5:52 PM
Kasey: They don’t like our covid tests. Without God’s intervention, they aren’t letting us on this plane.
Jon: ok.
Jon: SDP.
Kasey: It appears unlikely.
Kasey: God sees what we can’t, so I’m determined to trust Him with this.
Jon: We are all praying still.

SUN 7:38 PM
Kasey: God sent an angel who fought for us.
Kasey: She was dressed up like an airline agent 😊
Jon: Oh praise the Lord I KNEW HE would do it!!!!
Kasey: We were thinking maybe the plane was going to go down. We were praying God would spare all the passengers being let through right past us.
Kasey: It’s a pretty full flight. Thank you for praying with us!

Mon 10:56 AM
Kasey: After an hour yesterday, one of the ladies took control and made it happen. She cleared us to be ticketed and pass through TSA. But when we got to our gate, the ladies we gave our tickets to also checked our covid tests, and they also didn’t like them. But God made it so the same lady (and her co-worker who was doing it with her) showed up all the way across the airport at the gate right when we needed her. I said that woman had been the one to give us clearance, and so they asked her and she confirmed. So here we are in Abu Dhabi. 🙏🏻

Now, Hannah and Kasey are in quarantine in Thailand, anxiously waiting to see their family and resume the work God has given them to do. 

Please continue to keep Kasey and Hannah and the rest of the Norton family in your prayers. If you would like to learn more about the Norton family or support their ministry, please click the button below.