There are moments in my life
when I come face to face with the reality of who God is, and it scares me. I wish it didn’t. It’s nothing more than God being exactly who
He says He is, but if I’m honest, it shakes me to my core.
One of those moments came this
week when God heard and answered a very specific prayer request. I was overjoyed, then in awe, then somewhat
scared. The almighty, living God heard my prayer, and answered
it. Me-- A lowly servant. The word ‘humbled’ does not seem to do
justice to how I felt. I am reminded
that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10).
Let me explain…
Since coming home from India,
one thing Chelsie and I have been praying for specifically is that God would
raise up a caretaker to help Vimala at Peace Home. Peace Home is the hostel (orphanage) that
Back2Back recently took over operationally, and where 16 girls and 1 boy are
all cared for by one 24 year old single mom named Vimala. Good caretakers are worth more than gold (if
you ask me), and we rarely strike gold. Learning
the names and faces of the children living at Peace Home was enough to light a
fire under us to ask God for this miracle. Almost every day since returning, Chelsie and
I have prayed. And since we were praying
for a miracle, we figured we might as well ask for specifics—it’s God after
all, and He can do anything He wants. So
we prayed specifically for Him to send someone who is a Christian and who can
speak English. It felt like asking for a
Rolls Royce when you’d settle for an old Ford.
Seventeen children and one adult sounds like ‘beggars can’t be choosers’
to me.
At our Wednesday evening prayer
meeting this week, Chelsie and I met together and asked God again for Him to
answer this request. I left not sure if
He was paying attention, or if it would be better if I packed my bags and moved
to India to care for the children myself.
My sin nature tends to believe that when I don’t see God act
immediately, taking things into my own hands is better than waiting.
Thursday morning, in the midst
of planning my move, Chelsie got an email from our staff in India. Just a few days earlier there were no leads
on caretakers, but then, out of nowhere, a woman willing to help showed up. And wouldn’t you know it? She speaks some English. And she’s a Christian. I will resist the temptation to explain to
you just how rare this is in India. (No
I won’t. The percentage of Christians in
India is less than 10%, and most are very poor meaning they do not know English).
Chelsie and I read the email in
disbelief. God heard us. He heard us and He acted. He’s alive.
And He is who He says He is.
The truth is, every time we
pray, something happens. Whether we see
it or not, we can know it is true. When
we feel incapable of helping the orphaned child due to proximal, relational, or
financial limitations, we can take comfort in knowing that prayer is no small
contribution. Swathi, Pavithra, and
Shashikala are just a few of those who need
us to raise up our voice when theirs is not heard.
Please join me in praying for
the orphaned child all over the world.
If you’re having trouble connecting—pray for an 8 year old special needs
boy named Manoj who's been forgotten by the world and needs a forever
home. And remember—at one time, we were
all orphans. God came to us, adopted us
into his family, and became our Father.
He never gets tired of that story.
No comments:
Post a Comment