Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Open the Floodgates, Lord...


I am sitting in the student lounge reading update after update of missionaries in Sudan, Kenya, Nepal, South Korea, Israel, India, Indonesia, Philippines, etc. and contrasting their stories from the front lines of their ministry with what I have experienced in North America as a christian. The difference is remarkable, and disheartening. What are we missing? For in every update I read there was miraculous events being reported - one update said, "there are no longer any people left to heal in this village, as they have all been healed!", and that sort of  thing was happening across the different countries and regions where missionaries were working - people being healed, set free from demons, miraculous protection, provision,  little children who can't speak English prophetically praying in fluent English, prostitutes being rescued and healed, and churches springing up because of miraculous donations of land and resources, people being saved in mass numbers and I am left thinking - why doesn't that happen here? I mean, God definitely does work miracles in North America, but it seems like they are not as prevalent here as they are all across the world. I wonder if we are so bombarded by the material world that its difficult for us to have faith in the unseen and the miraculous? Or maybe we are so comfortable in our material world that miracles are not what we really need? Maybe we need conviction and repentance of our hearts for our greed and lack of faith, and a good kick in the butt to start truly living out the Gospel and trusting God to the point that only the miraculous will meet our needs, whatever they may be? Are we starving for lack of faith? Or maybe God chooses to work differently here because of how much wealth and doubt we typically have as compared to most of the world... I am not saying that miracles, for the sake of miracles, are what NA needs, or are the measure of true faith.... but it seems like the Holy Spirit is moving with greater fervor and power in other countries that are less fortunate than us.. and I am left wondering if that is directly related to how materialistic, comfortable, and apathetic we are. I am definitely guilty of not trusting God, and trying to be as comfortable as possible, and living in the grips of fear and doubt. But I don't want to live that way, because it seems that the more risks we take for God, the more we trust Him, and the more uncomfortable we become... the greater is God's power and glory displayed in our lives. Maybe we need to start by asking God to increase our faith, to make us uncomfortable, to give us a heart that wants more than just the comforts of this world....hearts that recognize that eternity is more important than the present world, but that eternity begins NOW, hearts that aren't afraid to dream big because we know that God has bigger plans than we could ever imagine. But if we pray these things... you bet that it will shake our world up and require us to be obedient to whatever it is He calls us to. But if you count the cost... it is beyond worth the risk.

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