God at work
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses” [Matthew 11:7-8].
Lately I’ve been pondering why God seems to be silent and inactive in my daily struggles. Why haven’t my prayers for favour with the landlady been answered – as evident from her outright refusal to pay for the basic fittings for the house? Why does He allow seemingly bad things to happen – like the destruction of the straw mat we hung on our porch? Why is there no clear rhema word on the issues that I am seeking Him for – like how long I’m supposed to stay in this house? Still, I reckoned He must have His reasons for withholding His active intervention.
I think I got the answer last Saturday (August 11). It was a very special day. Eda, our neighbour and language helper, got her brother, Acle to help us wire up the exterior of the house, and install lights all around.
It’s hard to explain how much this meant to us. We desperately needed lights on the outside, to deter intruders and peeping toms from coming into our compound at night. There was at least one such incident, so we were both anxious to get the lights fixed as soon as possible. To make matters worse, the landlady had refused to help – leaving us with no option but to consider hiring a Chinese contractor to fix up the lights. A day’s work would cost us USD30, excluding the price of materials.
We were reluctant to fork out the sum, but decided we had no choice. Until we shared this problem with Eda on Friday evening. She immediately said she would ask her brother if he could help. Sure enough, the next day, Acle came to our house, and gave us a list of things to buy. When we returned, he promptly wired up each light, and installed them all around the house.
I learnt so much through this experience. I watched, and learnt how to wire up lights, and connect them to existing wires. I noticed how agile and skilful Acle was, and how good his workmanship was. I saw how he carefully thought through the best position to place the lights, to maximize visibility. I marveled at their earnest desire to help, with no demand of reward.
As night fell, and as the lights came on, I understood why God had not answered my prayers the way I wanted. I expected favour with the landlady. I wanted everything to go smoothly, with minimum inconvenience and cost. Like the first century Jews, I was looking for a Saviour who would come in great power and splendour, and demolish all opposition.
But God had something better in store. By not rescuing me from a desperate situation, He was actually blessing me. Through this episode, I bonded with the local people. And I have learnt so much. I saw firsthand how skilful and intelligent the locals were, and how willing they were to help. I now realize the opportunity to receive help from my neighbours was more valuable than the smooth negotiations I wanted with the landlady.
Sometimes, God seems inactive to us, because we are looking out for the wrong things. We rate God’s presence in our lives by the number of instant answers to prayers we receive, and the number of custom-made solutions that fall into our laps. Like the Jews in Jesus’ day, we sometimes look for a god whom we have created in our own image, one who suits our own convenience and fulfills our every wish. We want to share in the glory of Christ, but forget that first, we have to go to the cross.
I hope I will always be reminded of this lesson, as I switch on the lights every evening. May we all have eyes to see Jesus at work in our lives.
August 13, 2007
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