There are lots of dogs running through the streets in India. They all seem to be reasonably healthy and friendly dogs. None of them appeared to be menacing - I probably heard one dog bark the entire time I was there. Yet, somehow they manage to survive with little problems there. When Jesus says "do not worry" in the Sermon on the Mount pointing out that the birds of the air do not store food yet God feeds them, shows through when you see the dog population.
It took me a few days to get my bearings straight on my first missions trip to India. The time difference, jet lag, and missing home all played havoc with my system. Regrets filled my head immediately as I wondered had I made the biggest mistake of my life. I seriously thought God had made a big mistake. That's how bad I felt by day three or four. Crying out to God "Why do you have me here?"
Funny thing when you ask a loaded question to God, be prepared for the answer you will get. That night was the first night of a conference in Dehradun.
Then, life began to feel a little bit normal. This was something that I was used to. Worship, a sermon, and praying for others. This was a return to normalcy. The faces and language might have been different, but the needs were the same. A need for the living God, a God that transcends obstacles such as language and culture.
That night there was a call for ministry time. People came up to receive prayer for various things. I was struck by what they began to ask for. One man asked to regain passion for his job and to refresh his vision. Another young man was looking to pastor and plant a church. From what I could gather, he may have had a girlfriend who was not planning on going along with this vision. He seemed broken hearted and dealing with the cost of God's vision for him. The last girl of the night is the one that truly stunned me.
She wanted to feel the Holy Spirit in her heart for the first time. The rolodex in my head tried to conjure up what was the appropriate prayer in that situation. The best prayer was "Come Holy Spirit come" (sometimes these prayers don't need to be wordy). I didn't see her the next day, so I don't know what the results were. Not that I need to know, but it might have been cool to follow up. Lots of prayer requests on this trip fell into the same categories. Vision, wisdom, favor, knowledge of God's Word were all asked.
In India, Christians are such a small minority. In fact, several churches have been vandalized and some believers assaulted. The police and government seemingly turn a blind eye as the unofficial policy seems to be removing India from a Christian and Muslim presence. That's some serious persecution and resistance. Living with the thought of being assaulted for your beliefs is real there. Westerners not so much (they like our money) but we are perceived as bribing people to become Christians. Wisdom on our parts was sorely needed. Our friends live here so we don't want to do anything to make their lives much harder once we go home. In the U.S., we don't have this fear so we can act unwisely without repercussion. There, we had to be much wiser and more aware of our surroundings.
That has got me thinking about my faith. Is my faith strong enough to withstand such persecution? Would I trust God to sustain me, would I become angry with God, or would I walk away? I like to think that I would trust God, but I haven't faced that kind of persecution. These people in India still have much joy. Filled with thankfulness and gratitude towards God. Am I like that? Or, do I move onto my next request to God? I think we here in the States tend to move on. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it has reminded me to be more thankful in my walk. Maybe we need to slow down more often to appreciate all that God has provided us.
As I alluded to earlier, I was stunned by the prayer requests. Deep, drenching prayers. The kind that I don't usually ask for. I am trying to remember the last time I prayed to feel the Holy Spirit or become more knowledgeable in God's Word. Not very often. Maybe, I am so comfortable here in America, that I do not feel the need to ask for that. Maybe there is no "urgency" here that makes me want to ask. I don't know the true answer to that, but it makes me think.
I should be praying more for wisdom in God's Word, asking to feel the Holy Spirit more, vision for my future, and favor on my life. They might not get answered in ways I would like, or maybe it will move me out of my comfort zone. Yet, there is no harm in asking. My friends in India do and they seem to have joy.
My thoughts since I have come back are to maybe reignite the prayer ministry at our church. Just get with people and just pray. Pray deeply and commune with God. Maybe, we need to listen and hear God more. Good thoughts.
That's the thing, we went to India to be a blessing when truthfully God blessed both parties on both sides of the ocean.
It took me a few days to get my bearings straight on my first missions trip to India. The time difference, jet lag, and missing home all played havoc with my system. Regrets filled my head immediately as I wondered had I made the biggest mistake of my life. I seriously thought God had made a big mistake. That's how bad I felt by day three or four. Crying out to God "Why do you have me here?"
Funny thing when you ask a loaded question to God, be prepared for the answer you will get. That night was the first night of a conference in Dehradun.
Then, life began to feel a little bit normal. This was something that I was used to. Worship, a sermon, and praying for others. This was a return to normalcy. The faces and language might have been different, but the needs were the same. A need for the living God, a God that transcends obstacles such as language and culture.
That night there was a call for ministry time. People came up to receive prayer for various things. I was struck by what they began to ask for. One man asked to regain passion for his job and to refresh his vision. Another young man was looking to pastor and plant a church. From what I could gather, he may have had a girlfriend who was not planning on going along with this vision. He seemed broken hearted and dealing with the cost of God's vision for him. The last girl of the night is the one that truly stunned me.
She wanted to feel the Holy Spirit in her heart for the first time. The rolodex in my head tried to conjure up what was the appropriate prayer in that situation. The best prayer was "Come Holy Spirit come" (sometimes these prayers don't need to be wordy). I didn't see her the next day, so I don't know what the results were. Not that I need to know, but it might have been cool to follow up. Lots of prayer requests on this trip fell into the same categories. Vision, wisdom, favor, knowledge of God's Word were all asked.
In India, Christians are such a small minority. In fact, several churches have been vandalized and some believers assaulted. The police and government seemingly turn a blind eye as the unofficial policy seems to be removing India from a Christian and Muslim presence. That's some serious persecution and resistance. Living with the thought of being assaulted for your beliefs is real there. Westerners not so much (they like our money) but we are perceived as bribing people to become Christians. Wisdom on our parts was sorely needed. Our friends live here so we don't want to do anything to make their lives much harder once we go home. In the U.S., we don't have this fear so we can act unwisely without repercussion. There, we had to be much wiser and more aware of our surroundings.
That has got me thinking about my faith. Is my faith strong enough to withstand such persecution? Would I trust God to sustain me, would I become angry with God, or would I walk away? I like to think that I would trust God, but I haven't faced that kind of persecution. These people in India still have much joy. Filled with thankfulness and gratitude towards God. Am I like that? Or, do I move onto my next request to God? I think we here in the States tend to move on. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it has reminded me to be more thankful in my walk. Maybe we need to slow down more often to appreciate all that God has provided us.
As I alluded to earlier, I was stunned by the prayer requests. Deep, drenching prayers. The kind that I don't usually ask for. I am trying to remember the last time I prayed to feel the Holy Spirit or become more knowledgeable in God's Word. Not very often. Maybe, I am so comfortable here in America, that I do not feel the need to ask for that. Maybe there is no "urgency" here that makes me want to ask. I don't know the true answer to that, but it makes me think.
I should be praying more for wisdom in God's Word, asking to feel the Holy Spirit more, vision for my future, and favor on my life. They might not get answered in ways I would like, or maybe it will move me out of my comfort zone. Yet, there is no harm in asking. My friends in India do and they seem to have joy.
My thoughts since I have come back are to maybe reignite the prayer ministry at our church. Just get with people and just pray. Pray deeply and commune with God. Maybe, we need to listen and hear God more. Good thoughts.
That's the thing, we went to India to be a blessing when truthfully God blessed both parties on both sides of the ocean.
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