I have spent a lot of time during my first week here praying for the country of Nepal and its people, specifically those in this community on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Today, I stopped to ponder what my main prayer is for these people.
We are involved in a different type of ministry here than what I have been partnering with over the past few months of this journey. We are not providing hands-on service to directly meet the needs of the poor, forgotten, or hungry, etc. We are partnering with an evangelical mission based here in the community to support their mission of living out and sharing the gospel in this region. Much of my time is spent praying over, with, and for the people that I interact with in various settings (such as home & church prayer meetings and small group bible study gatherings) on a daily basis. I also pray for those that I look out upon in the communities surrounding these mountains as we hike in the surrounding areas.
As I considered my prayer, I thought about my impression of this place. If I had to sum up Nepal right now in one word, it would be BEAUTY. There is glorious beauty in the bright clothing, the smiling faces, the ornamental jewelry worn by ladies of all ages, the colorful and artfully crafted buildings, the bright green color of the expansive rice fields, the rolling mountains encircling the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, and the clouds that fall among it all as if they are wrapping the beauty in a big fluffy blanket.
However, as I prayed and asked the Lord to reveal this place to me through His eyes and to reveal His heart for these people, I was saddened by the realization that amongst such “beauty”, the hearts of most of the people here are missing sight of the greatest beauty of all. . . Christ’s gift of love for them. As I walk through the community, I can’t help but also notice all of the shrines to idols and Hindu temples along the paths. The Hindu influence is great among this culture and the spirit of fear, restriction, and demonic presence is strong in the hearts of many of these people. So many of them are held in religious bondage that blinds them from the true beauty that surrounds them . . . God’s love for them and the grace and freedom that is found in that gift.
So it is my prayer that the people of Nepal would have their eyes opened to this true beauty and that God would be glorified in this amazing place. Please join me in lifting up this prayer for Nepal.
