“How Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.””
~ Isaiah 52:7
Yesterday, we got to travel to a new village. We are staying here for a few days to share our testimonies, encouragement, and pray for the people living in this remote village and surrounding areas. We will be doing a lot of trekking out to the nomads and small villages in the mountains nearby to share the gospel, while staying the nights in a beautiful church that the local pastor has opened up to us. And then after a few days here, we get to travel to another area, where we will trek part of the Himalayans and preach the good news to the people in those mountains. Very tiring ministry, but soo exciting!
This morning we woke to find that many of our shoes were stolen in the night. Eight pairs of shoes were taken while we were sleeping, and most of which were the shoes we brought for trekking. Thankfully the doors of the church were locked so we were unharmed and all of our other belongings were inside with us. We’re also grateful that most of us have another pair of shoes that we can use, although one of our girls had to go find a new pair this morning at the store because both her pairs were stolen and she was left with flip flops.
Initially, when I woke to hearing this news, I was very annoyed. My worn-out tennis shoes remained so I can still run and hike as planned, but the Chaco’s I bought for this year’s trip went MIA (missing in action). Initially I had a bit of anger and hatred rising up. I wanted to send someone to find those “bad guys” and get our shoes back. Our host said it was probably a group of drug addicts and there’s really no chance we will be getting them back. I was upset, I think we all were inside. However, praise the Lord for sending us Holy Spirit and the peace He brings!
Holy Spirit reminded me that it won’t do us or the people who stole our shoes any good to wish hateful thoughts upon their lives. Instead, we need to PRAY FOR THEM. The enemy would love to use this situation to plant a seed of hate in our hearts. But we know the God of peace, we know the God of Love, and out of this peace and love is how I want to respond. That is how people will know we are Christians, when we respond to a wrong doing with peace and love, that is how they will see who lives within us.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
~ John 13:34-35
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer… Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them… Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”
Romans 12:9-12,14,17
After thinking about this for a bit now with Holy Spirit guiding my thoughts, I realized how great it is that these people stole our shoes, as believers, rather than the shoes of someone who does not know Love. As children of God, with Love in our hearts, we now have a beautiful opportunity! First we can show people that we are God’s disciples because we have the choice to not repay evil for evil but instead show love in our thoughts, words, and actions. Second, we can pray for these misguided, lost children of the Most High. They have obviously been guided by the enemy if they chose to steal and if they truly are drug addicts, so now we know and we can, “be fervent in spirit,” and be “constant in prayer” for their hearts to be changed. And finally, this situation gives us an opportunity to practice what we preach, to “abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good,” “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation,” to “bless and do not curse them,” and “give thought to do what is honorable.”
Dear Papa, I pray right now for the people who took our shoes last night. I pray that the peace and love we walked in will be on those shoes in such a way that as they put the shoes on, they feel Your peace and love consume them. I pray that Holy Spirit will convict their hearts, that they realize they have been misguided by the enemy and choose to repent, turn around, and change their ways. Thank you Papa that You have the power to turn any evil situation into a testimony, into a story that brings You glory! Thank you Papa for the hearts of those lost sheep, that You have not forgotten them and have sent Your Son, Jesus, to die for their sins just as much as our own. That You have forgiven them and You can use this situation, our prayers, the example of those who are walking in Love, to convict their hearts and help them turn from their wicked ways. Thank You Father for keeping us safe last night and for the rest of this trip. Thank You for blessing each of us financially, that we don’t have to worry about going without shoes as many people here have to face. And thank you for your Gospel of Peace and Love, that our hearts are filled with Your goodness and that this situation won’t stop us from sharing that gospel with all the people in this village and in the villages surrounding us. I pray Papa, for Your will to be done in our hearts and in the hearts of those who stole our shoes. Papa God, I praise You and thank You!
In Jesus name I pray, Amen
I can just imagine God laughing at the Devil and saying, “Ha! You picked the wrong shoes for them to steal!” Because He can and will use this situation to bring more people to Christ and He will get all the glory in the end!
Y’all! This minor set back will NOT STOP US from SHARING THE GOSPEL to all those around! If anything, it has set me more on fire to preach the good news and excited for our trekking experience! Maybe we will even meet those men with their new shoes, get to pray for them in person, and show them love and honor through Christ!
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love… No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”
~ 1 John 4:7-8,12
