Hope in Something Greater

“But we are not those who shrink back and are
destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”

Hebrews 10:39

 

After almost three years away, I was so excited to come back
to Africa. Even the smell when I stepped off of the plane reminded me of the
amazing people I worked with before, and the wonderful people I was sure to
encounter over the next three months. The smell of Africa excites me. It brings
to my mind smiling faces, firm handshakes, and the giggles of children who are
in awe of seeing white people, “mzungus”, for the first time. This nation is
one full of hope in the greater things God has to offer us.

The other day we went to the local hospital to pray for the
people there. Most westerners would be overwhelmed at the seeming hopelessness
of the situation. The conditions reminded me of hospital wards I have seen in
old World War II movies. Each ward was a large room full of dilapidated beds
with nurses running back and forth trying to attend to each patient. Privacy is
not an option. However, with each person I met and prayed for I was comforted
in the hope we have in Christ.

Surrounded by so many needs that could be met with just a
few extra dollars, at first I was sad that I could not “fix” the situations. One
girl, Eliza, was being retained because she could not pay her hospital bill, a
mere 800 shillings- just over ten dollars. 
Another man, Charles, had been ill since August 7, and his wife,
Rosemary, has been sitting by his side with five children at home. She told me
she slept on the concrete floor next to his bed. I held the hands of mothers
lying next to their babies who more than likely had HIV, but they were too
ashamed to admit it. One man, Joseph, could not speak because AIDS was
beginning to take over his body: joints, vocal cords, and eventually his vital
organs. Each situation seemed hopeless.

However, each person I met I was reminded not to be
overwhelmed with the physical things that seemed to be such burdens. While God
cares about His suffering children’s needs, He cares even more for their soul.
I began to see past what I could not fix, and to see what mattered to God: that
these people know His love and peace. I prayed over the sick, but felt the Holy
Spirit leading me to minister more to God’s children caring for their loved
ones. That Jesus would take their burdens, give them rest, and more importantly
give them hope: hope that Christ has overcome the world, hope that He can carry
their burdens, and hope in a life that once we leave this world has no pain.

After being surrounded by so much suffering, I had to remind
myself that God has so much more for us. Through Christ, we are promised an
eternity of no suffering. Because of the Cross, I am promised an eternity with
God where there are no tears, no pain, no hunger. I cannot shrink back and be
destroyed by the physical pains of the world, but I must look to God and hope
in His eternal promises.

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen
is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what
we do not yet have we wait for it patiently.”