Have you ever felt like the job you’re in or whatever you’re doing is not of much use for the kingdom? Have you ever struggled with finding purpose in what The Lord has you doing? Have you ever just asked, “What’s the point?”
Good. Me, too.
This month at our ministry (as I mentioned in my last blog) my team is working with refugee women and their children. I felt like I should work with the women rather than the children, and I was so excited about the relationships I would build with them. I was excited to hear their stories and to get to share truth from The Lord with them.
And then one day, I asked a lady if she wanted me to hold her baby, so she could participate in the program. She said yes with a smile on her face.
And almost everyday since, I’ve just held babies.
I’m not complaining – I genuinely love babies. But I’ve often found myself wondering what I’m really doing for The Kingdom. I’m not building relationships with the women when I’m walking around the room bouncing a crying baby, and I’m not telling the babies about Jesus, either. So, what’s the point?
The point is love. I realized a couple things as I sat holding a sleeping little angel the other day: 1) The way The Lord has me serving these women is by holding their babies. I’m taking an obligation off of them and enabling them to participate and learn from the other girls on my team and build relationships with them. The babies aren’t burdens, but someone has to care for them. And that’s okay! I don’t have to be the one speaking or leading – I can lead from behind by cultivating an environment and space for The Lord to do really cool things. 2) One of the biggest privileges we have as believers is prayer. Prayer is an utter privilege, and we can often neglect it and forget the power of it. I realized how important it is and what a gift it is to pray for these babies. I can’t converse with them, but I can intercede on their behalf to a God who hears, who cares for and created us, and who wants to show up and change lives to show His glory and love.
And to testify to the power of this: I’ve seen the fruit of it. The Lord didn’t have to show me the fruit of my prayer or show me how my small act of love for these women is impacting their lives, but He’s such a good, good Father and He did anyway.
The other day, as I was holding one baby in particular, I began to pray specifically for her home life and that The Lord would do a new work in her family and change their hearts and allow her to grow up in a godly environment. I prayed for someone in her family to take her to church, to teach her about Jesus, to disciple her, to love her well. I prayed for her to accept Christ as her Savior one day and that she would realize her need for Jesus as a child. I prayed The Lord’s hand and favor would be on her and that He would guide her life and reveal Himself to her so clearly.
I knew nothing about her life. Most of these people come from a lot of brokenness, but I prayed in faith knowing that The Lord makes beauty from ashes.
And He does. Oh, He does.
At team time that afternoon, my friend shared about how she had been scared to give the devotion that day at the women’s program. She was unsure of what to say or the point of it, but felt like she should share the story of the woman who had a hemorrhaging problem who touched the hem of Jesus’ robe and was healed. The Holy Spirit spoke through her, and she shared about how this woman was by law unclean – this woman was not supposed to even be in that crowd. The woman was scared, but she knew it was worth the cost to just touch Jesus because she knew she would be healed. She finally makes it to Jesus, and is immediately healed. Jesus knew, but he decides to call her out and ask “Who touched me?” The woman shares her issue and how she had been healed instantly. Jesus then sends her out in peace with the promise that she was healed because of her faith by risking the embarrassment and actually even breaking the law of Moses by touching a clean person when she was unclean.
After her devotion, a woman came forward to talk to our ministry host. She said she was touched by what my teammate had said about the woman and that she wanted to rededicate her life to The Lord because if that woman knew Jesus was worth that kind of embarrassment, then she knew He was worth it, too. She said her husband has been wanting to get back in church, and she shared how she wants to also now, too.
And guess what?
That was the baby’s mother. And that happened on the exact same day I was praying that prayer. In fact, my teammate was giving that devotion as I was rocking that baby and praying that over her life!
So, I just hold babies. And I love every second of it because I’ve learned that my silent prayers over sleeping babies in the back of the room is echoing throughout God’s throne room and bringing Kingdom. It can seem boring; it can seem pointless. But The Lord has graciously reminded me of the purpose of it: love. I am showing the women love by relieving them for a while, so that they can receive from The Lord without distraction. And I am showing The Lord I love Him by praying bold prayers that give Him the space to do a work in this world and declare His glory and bring His Kingdom here.
I pray today that The Lord reminds you of your purpose – that He wants to use you for The Kingdom in whatever you’re doing and that it’s not pointless. He hears your silent prayers as loudly as the person up front boldly declaring His Word. He’s using both in big ways. It’s all just about His love and His glory!
