He's got the whole world in His hands...

Last night, Amy, Ratnakar, his dad (Joseph) and I went to village about an hour away to participate in a worship service there.  When we arrived, we entered a building filled with joyful songs and expectant hearts.  Since our day had been so full, I had not had a lot of time to prepare a message to share so I was praying on the way there that God would guide me and that He would show me what I was to share. (The other advantage I have when I speak is that I have time to continue this prayer as I am sharing because I pause every few sentences to give Ratnakar a chance to translate for me. :) 

I turned to James 1:2-3 and asked one of the women to read this in Telugu.  Then I read the passage from the New Living Bible asking Ratnakar to translate it for me:

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. 

This passage is such a challenge to me because it shows how the kingdom is so upside down.  When troubles come, my first reaction is to grumble or complain in my heart (or to others).  But here, God invites us to consider it an opportunity for joy.  To our human hearts, this really does not make any sense.  Joy? Really? When things are hard, that is not the first response that comes to mind. 

I asked each person to think of something that in their lives that is difficult right now. What if instead of wishing we could do everything possible to change our circumstances, we simply fell back into God’s arms with the faith of a child? What if we used this situation as a chance to build our faith muscles and our endurance in running to God every time a worry popped into our hearts and minds?  Through the years, the metaphor of running has helped me understand the mystery of faith. My goal is to get stronger in my faith so that I keep getting faster in running to God (and not away from Him) when troubles come. 

The picture that came alive to me and to Anna back in the summer of 2008 when we were in Kenya continues to remind me of this invitation to run to God.

I then turned to John 15 and we read from the passage about the vine and the branches.  “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener….Remain in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot bear fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches.  Those who remain in me and I in them will bear much fruit.  For apart from me, you can do nothing.”

This passage gives us some training tips on how we can keep our faith and how we can grow in endurance. The secret is in remaining in Christ and abiding there. Stay closely connected.

The other verse I shared was from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”  The secret in living with joy boils down to trust. It sounds so easy, but it takes a lifetime to learn. 

I then shared about our experience in this last year of Jason losing his job and of how difficult that has been at times.  I shared about Anna’s prayer the day that we found out back in January: “Dear God, please help Daddy find a job.  We know this is in your hands.” I explained how this has encouraged me so much and has reminded me that we are indeed in God’s hands with all of this.  Hearing a child pray (especially my own daughter) is one of the best gifts as a reminder of what is the truth.  Children don’t pray with any pretense. They are not praying to be seen or heard by anyone as they are simply speaking from their hearts.  They are just talking to God as if He is right there beside them (because He is!). 

Another huge encouragement that I shared has been the support we have received through prayer from the children here in India too. Back in February, Ratnakar sent me this picture that showed some of the children in our program praying specifically for Jason.   They have continued to knock on heaven’s door on our behalf and have asked for help for us. While the resolution has not yet come, I am learning to trust because of these prayers from children who trust and run to God with their needs and on behalf of others half a world away. 

As I shared about all of this, I certainly held back some tears as I knew that there were so many needs in this group of people. Our situation pales in comparison to many of the burdens carried into this room. And yet, with the faith of a child, I hold on to the hope that the song holds true that He’s got the whole world in His hands.