Coming into this country I had a very skewed view of what ministry would look like. I thought that the majority of ministry we would be placed at here would be bar ministry. An opportunity to talk with, befriend and share Gods grace with these children of God who are caught up in this mess.
There’s a problem I struggle with daily, something I pray about every day and yet still have the hardest time understanding or believing God is working in or doing something about. I always feel like I should do more, just pick up and make change happen. But that is not what God is actually calling me into, doing that for every last thing I want to see changed would cause burn out and in some cases unfavorable results.
Sometimes we are just called to pray.
It’s funny how being in the middle of something you can sometimes see the redemption, you can see the good God worked through that situation. I can say that holds true through what I experienced in Cambodia, things that I still am not ready to accept, but I can still see the good.
Where my problem lies however is in the causes I read about; Starving children, those persecuted by others for their beliefs, and those who are trafficked.
Tonight I am sitting on my sleeping pad in the middle of Thailand, a fellow squad mate posted a link to an article stating facts everyone should know about trafficking. As I begin to read questions flood my mind.
Questions like:
how can I fix this?
Where can I help?
Praying can’t be all I can do?
Why is this even allowed to go on/ happen?
The truth is I can not fix this, only God can fix this and we will not call me to fix every single problem in the world because he has so many children he wants to utilize and each of us was created for a different purpose, to help in different ways. I was once told ” some are called to give, others are called to go and still others to pray.” In this moment, and this circumstance I am called to pray. Pray for those women being sold into slavery, for those men who are so broken they do not know where else to turn to, and for those buying and forcing these precious children of God into horrible conditions.
Truthfully I have always struggled with the last sentence I just wrote. Prayer never feels like enough. I do not feel like I am doing anything or making a difference. But prayer is powerful, think of the countless times Jesus did a simple prayer over someone so they would be healed, or how often Jesus made it a point to pray. Especially right before he was crucified.
Praying when you do not know the names of the precious children of God in the middle, for those who fuel it, their hearts to be changed, and finally for those missionaries and others fighting to stop it. This month I know the names of 7 wonderful women working to show and share the grace, and unconditional Love God has for these women. So the next time your heart breaks from reading an article or a blog prehaps, stop and say a prayer. Pray because God already knows each and everyone of their names. Pray because every prayer can knock the darkness another step lower and shed more light into their lives. Pray because God has the authority and wants his children to not just hear but know the depths of his love. We are all worthy of that knowledge.
But the truth of the matter is, deep down, if I am completely honest I just want to fix it all, I desperately want to wave a magic wand so it simply doesn’t exist and is not an option anymore. But if I am also being honest I cannot fix it, it is humanely Impossible for me or anyone to just fix the problem on our own.
By the Grace of God, he chooses everyday to use us for his work.
That’s right, He Chooses to Use Us.
If God wanted to, he would not have to use any of us to help his kingdom, but that is not how he created us, he created us to be in relation with one another. To love, to help guide.
