The time we spent in Pattaya was really
unique to the rest of our trip. Technically prostitution in Thailand
is illegal but that law is not really enforced so women will come
from the provinces of Thailand to work in bars in major cities to
provide for their families. So most of the women we met in Pattaya
chose to work as prostitutes. They were not trafficked and held
against their will. Some of the that does happen in Pattaya but not
what you see on the streets. These women choose to work in bars not
because they enjoy it but because they feel like they have no other
option for a job. Everyday I had the opportunity to sit with women
who work as prostitutes.They feel like they have no value, or worth
as humans. They obviously do not know they have worth as a daughter of
the most high king. As I sat with these women I would often wonder
why Jesus sat with the prostitutes, and with the tax collectors. I
tried to get in His head. What was He thinking? Where was His heart?
Then I realized He was there to raise the dead.
In the gospels Jesus commissions the
disciples to go out, raise the dead, cast out demons, heal the sick,
and share the gospel. I believe that as a current disciple of Christ,
I am called to do all those things. I believe that I can physically
see all those things come to pass through the power of the Holy
Spirit that lives and dwells within me. But today as I write about
raising the dead, I don’t mean physically, I mean spiritually.
In Ezekiel 37 there is a story about
Ezekiel. Who knew, right? Well Ezekiel has this vision where He is in
this valley of dry bones and God commands Ezekiel to speak to those
bones so that they might live again. (V. 4-6) Ezekiel does it and at
first the bones are formed together, and grow flesh and physical
bodies are made whole again.(V.7- 8) That is pretty cool but those
bodies don’t live, they don’t breathe. They just exist. God had
already promised that they would BREATHE so there has to be
more!(V.9) The next part of the story is my favorite because God then
commands Ezekiel to speak the the BREATH of these bodies. Ezekiel
obeys and the bodies stood on their feet as an EXCEEDINGLY GREAT
ARMY!(V. 10)
Ezekiel spoke to their souls, and when
he did that, the army lived. Jesus spoke to the souls of His
disciples, and the prostitute at the well, and the tax collector in
the street, and the lame and the sick. When He did they lived. Jesus
speaks to my soul and I LIVE!
Over the last month I have realized the
power of speaking to someones soul. I have had mine spoken to by many
of you and it creates refreshment and life with in my spirit. I got
to sit with women and speak life to their souls, and watch something
awaken in them that is beautiful and alive.
I also realized how much I don’t speak
life into the souls of people I do life with. I get comfortable with
people. I assume they know I value them I love them, they are
talented, or gifted, or a joy to be around. The truth is we live in a
world where there is an enemy fighting to convince of lies and
sometimes those I love forget I love them, sometimes those I care for
don’t know that I do. Sometimes we all lose sight of our giftings,
and callings and we just need someone to remind us, to help breathe
some life into our weary souls.
So my prayer is that we will be a
people who speak life into others souls whenever we can, even if it
seems like overkill. No one can have too much life. Lets be honest. I
pray that as we speak life into the souls of those around us we will
raise up an Exceedingly great army for the Kingdom of God.
