Some days on the Race are too much to handle. Too much pain, too much hopelessness. All you can manage is to weakly lift your hands and say:
"What can I do?"
My team went out into the city today, hoping to interview Lithuanians, just to give them a chance to talk. We sensed that the atmosphere here was very spiritually supressed and stale.
(Vilnius is beautiful. But it needs new life.)
So we wrote up a list of questions to ask, things like:
- What is your family's religious background?
- What do most Lthuanians believe about Christians?
- How would you describe the personality of God if you beleve in Him? If not, how would you wish to describe it?
Thankfully, Lithuanians are very honest, and the vast majority said they hand never really thought about such things; that they didn't really care to.
They said they saw Christians as judgemental and fierce.
FIERCE!?
Ouch.
Completel the opposite of who Jesus is.
How does one even begin to love a people who don't care about these things? How do you answer a hopeless situation?
It explains why the suicide rate is high here (highest in the world). What purpose is there, why are we alive, what's the point of it all? (Things we've felt from Lithuanians)
(Jesus is here. They've just forgotten.)
Days like today, I know in my mind that Jesus is the hope. But it stays in my mind. Why can't that make the 18 inch journey to my heart? In my mind, Jesus redeems all, is full of hope, full of the love that changes what nothing else can. And yet, I want to crawl up in a ball because I have no idea how to present that to these people. I hurt for this city.
Maybe that's where we begin. We truly have to hurt for a place like God does before we begin to bring in light, bring in the solution, Jesus.
I think that's where God was. He was hurting so much for His children. And compassion arose.
And Jesus came.
(Ascend the Hill interceding for the city.)
Please. Pray for Lithuania. Intercede for this place, that chains would be broken. That the spiritual air would be cleaned out. That the Holy Spirit would come in and breathe life into the dry bones of this country. Pray for the Christians that are here, that they would know and be empowered, to love, serve, and bring the life of Jesus here. This place is desperate for it. But they don't even know it.
(our beautiful Korean host family. Please pray for their ministry.)
He is coming.
