God did - Aiden Lee

The call to serve begins with a simple desire to do something more than just be served. God shut one door when Familia Feliz was no longer an option, but God opened another door through Palau, even through something as ordinary as overhearing a friend who might be lonely. The call was not first about a beautiful island, even though Palau became “heaven on earth” with the sea of glass and the sunsets. God was making a way for service before the picture ever looked perfect.

John 6 gives the first clear picture of what serving really is. The boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish did not have enough to feed 5,000 people. The boy only had a little, maybe just a little more than what he needed, but he gave it all to Jesus. Jesus took what was not enough and made it more than enough, with 12 baskets left over. The point is not that the boy was amazing. The point is that what is placed in Jesus’ hands can become something no person could ever do alone.

The year in Palau became a real-life version of giving loaves and fish. The practice of serving meant early mornings, devotionals, cooking, Bible study, teaching second graders, cutting hair, coaching basketball and volleyball, working out, and sleeping by 8:45. The dedication was real, and the schedule was hard. Yet the tension stayed because even giving everything did not remove doubt.

Joshua 1 and Joshua 6 show why effort cannot stand by itself. God told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous,” not because Joshua was already fearless, but because fear was right there. Jericho stood in the middle of what God had promised. God could have knocked the walls down instantly, but the marching taught faith. The walls did not fall because marching was powerful. The walls fell because God acted through obedient trust.

The fear after Palau was that maybe nothing changed, maybe no one was led to Christ, maybe an entire year had been wasted. God answered that fear through a prayer journal and a song called “Always On Time.” The tears at camp meeting became the reminder that the real question was never, “Did the missionary change the students?” The answer was, “No. God did.” The call to serve means giving everything, trusting that no effort given to God is wasted, and remembering, “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. God opens another door. God may close a door without ending the call. The closed door to Familia Feliz did not mean staying comfortable was the answer. The open door to Palau showed that calling often comes through a small moment that feels almost random, but is not random to God. [47:29]
• 2. Small gifts belong in Jesus’ hands. The boy in John 6 did not bring enough to solve the problem. The five loaves and two fish became enough only after they were given to Jesus. Faith does not pretend the gift is large; faith knows whose hands can multiply it. [50:37]
• 3. Effort needs faith to matter. The marching around Jericho was not a military strategy that made the walls weaker. God used the marching to form trust in scared people who needed courage. Service can be exhausting and sincere, but without faith it becomes only movement around a wall. [58:02]
• 4. Serving is not being seen. The quiet goodbye from Palau did not look like a movie ending. The lack of visible emotion made room for a deeper fear, that maybe nothing had changed. God’s work is not measured by how dramatic the farewell feels, but by what God keeps doing after the servant leaves. [58:32]
• 5. God changes lives through vessels. The prayer journals and the song “Always On Time” became a reminder that God had been working beyond what could be seen. The servant did not finally get proof of personal greatness, but release from needing that proof. The deepest comfort was not, “He changed them,” but, “God did.” [62:03]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [41:40] - Opening Prayer
• [42:26] - Introduction and Missionary Background
• [43:33] - Where Is Palau?
• [44:48] - A Closed Door and New Call
• [47:29] - Palau School and Student Missionaries
• [48:43] - The Boy With Five Loaves
• [51:12] - Giving Time and Talents in Palau
• [54:44] - Be Strong and Courageous
• [56:43] - Jericho and Faithful Obedience
• [58:32] - Doubts After Leaving Palau
• [59:51] - Prayer Journals and Always On Time
• [62:24] - Serve and Trust God
• [67:55] - Closing Prayer

Bible Reading

John 6:5-13
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. [48:43]

Joshua 1:4-6, 9
Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. [54:54]

Joshua 6:1-5
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” [56:43]

Observation questions

1. In John 6, what details show that the boy’s food was clearly not enough on its own, and what happened after it was placed in Jesus’ hands? [49:51]
2. What were some of the specific ways time and talents were poured out in Palau during an ordinary day? [51:12]
3. In Joshua 1, what promises and commands did God give Joshua as he faced the land ahead of him?
4. In Joshua 6, what exactly did God tell Israel to do before the walls of Jericho fell, and what does that show about the process they had to walk through? [57:03]

Interpretation questions

1. In John 6, why might it matter that Jesus chose to work through one boy’s small offering instead of creating bread without involving anyone? [50:37]
2. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous more than once. What does that suggest about Joshua’s inner condition, and how might that change the way courage is understood? [55:52]
3. The people of Israel marched around Jericho, but the walls fell because God acted. How does that help explain the difference between sincere effort and faith-filled obedience? [58:02]
4. When visible results seem small or unclear, why is it important to remember that God changes lives through vessels rather than the vessel changing lives by personal strength? [01:02:24]

Application questions

1. A closed door does not always mean the call to serve is over. Has there been a closed door in life that felt final at first, but later looked like God redirecting the path? What made it hard to trust that another door could open? [47:29]
2. The desire to serve often begins with wanting to stop only consuming and start giving. Where has life become mostly about being served, and what would it look like to take one real step toward serving someone this week? [45:29]
3. The boy gave a little that was not enough, and Jesus made it more than enough. What is one “five loaves and two fish” area right now—time, energy, skill, money, attention, or availability—that feels too small to matter? What would it look like to place that fully in Jesus’ hands? [50:55]
4. It is possible to work hard, stay busy, and still carry doubt. Where is there a temptation to believe that more effort alone will fix everything? How might faith need to be renewed in that area? [54:44]
5. Jericho did not fall because marching was impressive. What “wall” is being walked around right now that has not moved yet? How can obedience continue without turning faith into frustration? [59:37]
6. Quiet endings and unclear results can stir up fear that nothing really changed. Has there been a season of serving, parenting, helping, teaching, or praying where the fruit was hard to see? What helps keep the heart from calling that season wasted? [58:32]
7. “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Where is courage needed most right now, and what would it look like to live this week as if that promise were truly enough? [01:02:43]