One form of ministry many of us have grown accustom to here in Africa is door-to-door evangelism. This month in particular, we have spent many mornings prayer walking in the surrounding community and visiting with various members of the church through the pastor’s leading. Some days our ministry seems smooth, sweet and fruitful, while others seem rough, dry and fruitless. We find comfort in the Parable of the Four Soils (Matthew 13) where Jesus speaks of a farmer sewing seeds on various mediums of soil. We never know the type of soil our seeds are landing on, but that doesn’t stop us from planting crops. The Lord knows where the seeds land and he feeds and nourishes them accordingly. Sometimes the Lord leads us to do the sewing, others to take part in care and nurturing, and every once in awhile, He calls us to take part in the harvest. There is value in each step of the process, although some parts seem to come more often than others.
I have found door-to-door ministry has allowed me to experience some of the extremes of my Heavenly Father’s heart. During our second week of ministry here in Tanzania, we visited a small village where the Pastor we have been working with planted a small church. As we have found with most of the areas we have ministered to this month, this community was predominately Muslim. As we walked along the road, we came upon an older woman resting on the ground. We greeted her and began explaining who we were. As we were talking to her, two younger women approached us with their children. All three of them listened as our interpreter explained who we were and what our purpose was for our time in Tanzania. All three of the women told us were Muslim. After an exchange with one of the women on our team, the older woman hurried off explaining that she was not in need of any sort of prayer from us. We continued to speak with the younger women asking if they had any prayer requests that we could lift up with them. Shortly after the older woman left the two younger women ran off shouting an Islamic prayer at the top of their lungs. Being the first time any of us had experienced such a reaction to Christ, we were all a little shocked. Nonetheless, we continued our prayer walk through the community. We encountered a few more families that day, some who were willing to hear the word of God, and others who were not. Some allowed us to pray with them, but they all stood by their Islamic beliefs about Christ.
On the bus ride home from this village, I found myself thinking about God’s heart and His love for us-not just for believers, but also for ALL people. I was reminded of the oh so common verse, John 3:16: ” For God so loved the WORLD that He gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. What kind of love must it take to sacrifice your ONE AND ONLY SON for the sins of the WORLD?! I was moved to tears as I tried to wrap my head around the kind of love must take and, at the same time, envisioning the two young women running away. For a moment I felt as though the Father was revealing to me a small piece of His heart for these women. Despite the fact that they were running away, He still loves them. In the end, I believe they may experience His wrath, but at this moment, I sensed His undying LOVE for them. I cannot begin to imagine how much it would break my earthly Father’s heart if I ran away screaming words against him. How much more must our Heavenly Father’s heart break when He watches His children run away from Him?
That evening as our team debriefed the events of the day, Bev expressed a similar but deeper reaction to the events of the day. As we closed the evening in prayer, we thanked the Lord for sharing this piece of His heart with Bev and the rest of our team. However, we didn’t leave it there. We proceeded to ask the Lord to show us the opposite end of the spectrum as well so we might understand the joy He feels when His sons and daughters follow Him and are welcomed into His kingdom.
Needless to say, there is another part to the story. Not only did the Father hear our prayer, but he also answered QUICKLY.
The following day, after breakfast and a little time in prayer and worship, we set out for a prayer walk in the community close to the home we have been staying in. As usual, Pastor Bon led us to the home of one of the church members so we could pray for her. This particular woman was married, and although she was a member of the church, her husband was not, nor did He really claim to be a Christian. We were welcomed into their home and began asking if we could pray for them about anything in particular. The husband himself had questions about the Lord. Although he didn’t attend church or claim to be a Christian, he DID read the bible and had some questions he really wanted answered. As we listened and answered the questions as best we could, I watched this man’s heart begin to soften and change. It was evident that the Lord was working in his life through his relationship with his wife and children, and the gracious provision of work and a home. He went on to tell us that he had never met a group of believers who were so willing to sit and talk with him, free of pressure and frustration. After much discussion he told us that he was ready to commit his life to Christ. He knew it was something that he wanted to do but also needed to do for his family. As we prayed, he confessed his sins to the Lord and sincerely asked for the Lords forgiveness. He then proceeded to confess his faith in the Lord and his need for the Lord in his life. He surrendered his life and his family to the will of the Lord that day. As we wrapped up praying blessings over him and his family, I was moved to tears once again. This time however, my heart was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and peace. I knew instantly that this was the Lords answer to our prayer the night before. Here in this family’s living room we experienced a small piece of the joy and excitement our Heavenly Father must feel when another one of His children is welcomed into the Kingdom of heaven.
Although it our Father’s heart my be too big for me to every have a complete understanding of His love for us, I am forever grateful that He loves me enough to share these small pieces of His heart with me and my team.
All glory, laud and honor are HIS-Amen.
