Strawberries

I just got back from worshiping with a group of young people. I mean, really worshiping. While gathered around a table, we listened to a few meaningful songs. We read some Scripture passages. But mostly we just closed our eyes and talked to God. We listened as He talked back to us. Beautiful words, wonderful words. A tear was shed – mine. The nearness of God was our delight. Our focus was on our first love. It was worship.

Worshiping the Lord has always been easier for me on the mission field than when I’m in the States. Maybe it’s because my dependence on Him is greater here. Maybe it’s because I’m more directly involved in fulfilling my calling when I’m here. Maybe it’s because, in the States, we sometimes mix other things in our traditional ‘worship services’ and miss out on really experiencing God’s presence. Whatever the reason, I think I will miss some of the naturalness and simplicity of worship while I’m in the States.

I’ll be in Virginia for 10 days in May for Hannah’s graduation, then in Texas in August to begin a year-long furlough. There’s lots of things I’m looking forward to: visiting family and friends, spending time hiking in the mountains, enjoying the cool temperatures of fall and spring, having sooooo much delicious food to choose from, seeing all the new electrical gadgets, having the convenience of…well, just about everything. The other night I dreamed of strawberries and cream, or was it strawberry shortcake?

Yep, there are things here that I won’t miss: continual hot temperatures, the ants, mice, lizards, cockroaches, and other tropical critters, the dirtiness, the traffic, the crowds, the suffering, the poverty, and just the everyday difficulty of living. But this is where the front edge of God’s kingdom clashes with the forces of Satan’s kingdom. This is where spiritual battles are waging in the heavenlies for the souls of men and women. So why do I find it easier to worship the Lord when I’m here?

Could it be that God, in His mercy, adds a few teaspoons of grace to my thirsty soul because I live in such a foreign land? Could it be that He deliberately walks a few steps closer to me when I’m here because He knows the spiritual war that is being fought all around me? Could it be that my weaknesses are more pronounced here and I need the continual renewal of His strength?

Whatever the reason, the nearness of God is my joy. Like Jesus, it is my pleasure to walk in the less desirable places and to live among the world’s less well-to-do people. For while I see more clearly the ugliness and sufferings of the world, I also experience more fully the beauty and nearness of the Lord. And for that reason, I’m so blessed to be here. Yes, I will enjoy the States and the strawberries, but I will be looking forward to coming back, as the Lord leads.