This is “Big Buddha.” It sits on a huge hill here in Phuket. We went to pray over this sight this week, for eyes to be open to Jesus.
Scaffolding surrounds the statue, and I couldn’t help but focus on the fact that this “god” was built by human hands. Personally, if you have to construct your “god,” then you are higher that your “god” which means you are really deceived and bowing down to yourself. Just sayin'
As we walked around Big Buddha, I remembered the story in 1 Samuel 5 about the Ark of the Covenant being captured by the Philistines. They carried the ark and placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. They woke up the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the Lord. So they picked Dagon up and put him back in his place. The next morning, there was Dagon, on his face before the ark of the Lord again, but his head and hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. The Lord afflicted the city with tumors and death and the people realized that the God of Israel must not stay there. So they sent it away to a different city, but God afflicted them with tumors and death too. After death had filled the city with panic, an outcry went out among the Philistine people to send the ark away. They made a new cart, put the ark on it, sent guilt offerings with it, and “gave glory to Israel’s god.”
God doesn’t need me to fight for Him. His power is perfect and complete. But He allows me to be part of what He is doing. This story is what I prayed over this statue…that God would glorify His name by making Himself known and showing up in power so that people would know who the one true God is. Sometimes, we pray bold things like this and get discouraged when we don’t see God act. I’ve been a little angry at this lately…I want to see the powerful God that heals and does crazy, awesome, wonderful things. But I realized that God is igniting a hunger in me to see His kingdom and power…to see Him be jealous for His name among the nations and in the hearts of people everywhere. The glory of God is coming and it’s coming with power and I can’t wait to see it revealed more and more! It’s coming in Thailand, it’s coming on Bangla road…the Kingdom is coming here, God is working here in jealousy for His name; in fierce, jealous love for the beautiful people here He has created.
