Monday was a really long WEEK, but sometimes I think God
issues a physical challenge to us in order to help us see how weak our Spirit
truly is compared to the pull of our Flesh.
I don’t think He does it to condemn us, but rather to help us grow in
our dependency on Him and in our understanding of how UNholy we truly are.
We began our day with a devotional that reminded us that
we, as Christians, are used by God to be GUIDES in the world to others. We studied the story of Philip and the
Ethiopian in Acts chapter 8. I love the
VERB in verse 30 of that passage. When
the Spirit of the LORD told Philip to approach the chariot of the eunuch, it
says that Philip RAN. Oh that we would
be the kind of followers of Christ who would RUN to obey the promptings of
God! But all too often, I (speaking only
for myself) spend so much time analyzing whether or not the prompting was
actually from GOD, that I miss the window to run, walk, or ACT at all. Or worse yet, I know deep within me that a
prompting IS from God but talk myself out of acting on it because of fear. (Fear that someone will think I’m weird, or think I'm “too
much” or just fear that it will take more time than I am willing to give it in the
moment.) THAT is called seeking your "glory" from man rather than from God. Crap.
It isn’t like that here.
The volume on God’s voice seems to be turned UP… probably because the
everyday American distractions are muted.
Here we are DESPERATE to obey the
promptings of God – ANY prompting – because as we sit in a counseling station
knee to knee with a Guatemalan villager, we realize we have NOTHING to offer
and NOTHING to lose. If God doesn’t
speak to us, and if we don’t act… absolutely nothing of value happens. At that point the trip is reduced to a really
bad vacation. Our mission trip is
absolutely focused on introducing Christ to people who do not know Him. But it isn’t just about getting villagers to “repeat
the sinners’ prayer” – it’s about being a guide to them on their journey, at whatever
point they happen to be. We aren’t
offering religion. There’s an abundance
of that in the villages already. We are
trying to introduce the ONE God in the entire world that seeks relationship
with His worshipers. Sometimes they don’t
need an introduction. Sometimes they
already know Jesus, and instead just need an empathetic listener, a hug, and a
word of encouragement to stay connected to God.
Monday was a 14 hour work day. After devotion we loaded the fleet of
Suburbans with everything we needed for three medical clincs and two overnight
stays in the villages. It was a mountain
of supplies, cots, and sleeping bags. We
drove – FOREVER. The journey was not for
the faint of heart. We drove on narrow
mountain roads; the face of the mountain on one side, steep drop-offs on the
other. The road itself reminded me of
old M*A*S*H reruns on TV. You know… the
ones where Radar O’Reilly had to drive the jeep while dodging bullets and
potholes made from bombs! I can’t vouch
for the others, but I can testify that my own prayer life deepened
significantly on the trip.
 |
| English Translation: "Dangerous Curves!" |
We arrived in the village at long last, weary – but with
a full clinic ahead of us. I am ashamed
to admit that my heart sank when I saw the size of the crowd waiting for us. I
knew it would be hours still before we could rest. Remember in Matthew 14 after Jesus learned
that his cousin, John-the-Baptist, had been beheaded? He was looking for a solitary place to grieve
and to pray so he got in a boat to escape the crowd. Yet when He arrived on the other side of the
lake, the crowd had beaten Him there.
Scripture says that Jesus looked on the crowd with COMPASSION. – I wish
I was more like Jesus. When I
looked at the crowds in the clinic waiting room, I began calculating how much time
stood between me and my cot. (Not my room at the Ritz – just my cot in an
open room shared with 21 other people.
Somehow that deepens the degree of my selfishness.) I didn’t see PEOPLE, I saw inconvenience. Mission trips aren't just about the people we come to serve. The trip is also very much about the relationship of the missionary with her God.
I immediately felt ashamed of my internal response –
afterall, this is exactly what I had signed up for as a member of a Mission
Team! I asked God to change my
perspective and fill my heart with love for His Guatemalan children who were
likely weary themselves from waiting all day for us to arrive. And THEY were also sick.
It was a Mayan village – meaning that each counseling
station needed TWO interpreters: one to translate English into Spanish, and
another to translate the Spanish into the specific Mayan dialect of that
village. It sometimes felt like an
exercise in futility! But being in a
counseling station is not supposed to be an exercise of human performance –
good or bad. It is simply about being
AVAILABLE to God in the moment and having intimacy with Him so that you can
HEAR His voice prompting you with questions and insights. Besides, I’m pretty sure God knows ALL the languages,
and thus isn’t bothered by our translation struggles.
Around 10pm (body clock time), I met a man named
Nelson. He came to the clinic seeking
help for severe back pain. He needs an
MRI – which means he needs a miracle.
The nearest hospital is in Guatemala City… hours away from the
village. He can’t afford the
transportation cost to get there, can’t afford a place to stay upon arrival,
and certainly can’t afford the test even if he COULD get there. Nelson hasn’t been able to work for over a
year because of his back pain. Money is
a problem for the family, and Nelson believes his wife has lost respect for
him. They have a 7 year-old son. Nelson is a Christ-follower, the real deal. He continues to plug in to the body of Christ
in the village church each week. He
takes his son to church to make sure he hears TRUTH. His wife has stopped going to church with the
family.
Nelson asked us to pray for his back to heal – but more
for the restoration of his family. He is
a humble servant who believes God has a purpose for all this suffering in his
life. (At some point in the counseling
station, I became the soul-sick patient and Nelson became the missionary.)
So is Nelson’s case hopeless? I might have been tempted to think so a few
years ago, but not anymore. Nelson
simply needs a miracle. Dr. Hermann is fond
of saying that “our prayers will never
cause God to do anything He does not want to do. But some of the things God LONGS to do – He will
NOT do unless we pray.”
Case In Point: Same Clinc. Same Tired Crew. Dr. Hermann had a patient with a lump in her
breast - maybe a cyst, maybe a tumor. She needed a miracle. She got one.
Following a time of prayer, the
lump was gone. The pain was gone. God chose to heal that lady. There are so many stories like that during
the clinics, it begins to change a person’s viewpoint about miracles. (Well ok, it has changed MINE.) Does God still do miracles? Oh yes sir… He absolutely does! (I hope someone out there who may be reading this blog - and needs a miracle of SOME sort - will be encouraged by that. Americans need miracles too.)
I don’t know why SHE got a miracle and Nelson did
not. But it ain’t over yet. In Luke 11:9, scripture urges us to pray with
persistence. “And
so I tell you, keep on asking and you
will receive what you ask for. Keep on
seeking and you will find. Keep on
knocking and the door will be opened to you.” So tonight, as I type the words for this
blog, I do so weary in body – but strong in Spirit for Nelson. His situation is NOT hopeless. But I need you to pray WITH me. Let’s believe God for that miracle,
understanding that God sees a bigger picture than we do and that God’s timing
is perfect. But we are His children, and
He lets us ask. Please… join me in the
asking.
