This past month in India, we had an opportunity to participate in medical ministry.
Take a minute to imagine being there with me.
You have just arrived by bus to a distant village.You step into a small church,walls made of mud plastered between giant stalks of bamboo.It feels cozy,
made to fit a tight knit family of believers.A place of shelter set apart in the midst of a Hindu community.Everyone who is running the camp gathers inside
and forming a circle you pray together,committing this place and your work to the Lord.
Then, along with a single translatoryou and your team are left alone in that room.
You have a single role, to pray.
It doesn’t take long for people to start coming in,prescription in hand.
Often they stand waiting as your single translator tries to tell you each persons ailments.
You desire to pray for them,but even more than that you desire for them to know to whom you pray!You do not pray to just any god,but to the one true God!
Your translator has to rush due to the amount of people taking advantage of the free medical care, and it is frustrating when you do not get to say everything you want to say to the people.
This is how we were feeling.
Yet, still we prayed.
Even though they do not understand our language,
still we prayed.
Even when they did not know our God,
still we prayed.
John 4:4 says:
“Greater is he who is in me,
than he who is in the world.”
Because of this we continued to pray,
for healing,
for redemption
and for truth over the people.
Because we have confidence that in the name of Jesus there is power!
We did not witness any miraculous healings that day.
Nor did we see anyone accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour,
but still we prayed.
We cannot stop praying simply because we are not seeing immediate results.
We have no way of knowing what God is doing in a persons life when we encounter them,
nor do we always know how God might use us in any given moment.
Listen to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7
God is the only one who can grow the seed in someone’s life!
You will not always get to see the results of the work the Lord has called you to do, but be faithful in doing the work he has given you as Paul and Apolos did.
I read in a book recently that
Sometimes what we grieve as unanswered prayer may be an answer indeed,
But outside of our experience or understanding.
Have faith, and don’t loose heart when your prayers seem to be left unanswered, pray confidentlyand without ceasing ,God hears your prayers and his spirit is alive and working.
I will end with Psalm 116:1-2:
” I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath.”
