Saturday, May 1, 2010

Dependence on God...His Eyes

One of the most rewarding reasons for me personally to travel to Asia is the how dependent I am forced to be on God.  Somehow in my home country, I don’t feel I need to depend on God nearly as much.  It is an unfortunate thing, and I am learning to be more proactive in my own land to actually fully depend on God.  But I have to admit, living in Asia makes it much easier to depend on God…cause, well, you simply can’t depend on anything or anyone else.

In addition to being forced to depend on Him more, Asia also seems to show me more of God.  I’m really thankful that even on short trips here, in the midst of the busy-ness, God has given me glimpses of Him.  He is revealing himself to me in different ways, and reminding me how close He is to me.  Earlier this week, actually about an hour after landing in South Asia, I was in a taxi, between the airport and train station.  It was about 10pm, pretty dark outside.  In the tax ride, I really did feel like Jesus was sitting in the seat next to me.  I could almost hear him saying, ‘Do you see that truck, it’s overflowing with bundles of who knows what!  It’s funny isn’t it that they never stop at red lights in this country.  We don’t have red lights where I live.”  It was just like we were two friends, having a conversation.

Then…immediately, I realized, that if Jesus really was talking with me, he might or might not comment about the truck or the red lights, but he would indeed talk about the people on the street around me.  And for the next several minutes, it was like He gave me a glimpse into every single person we passed.  Jesus said, ‘See her, a young beggar- just 9 years old.  Her father died when she was little, and her mother has been sick for a long time.  It is the only way to earn something so she can eat maybe once a day.  Now see him, a rickshaw owner – he will go home tonight, to a dirt floor, but he will have enough money from the day’s work to have a full meal with his family – they will laugh and his children will tell about cricket game they played in the empty lot near to their home.  Now look, see that young woman sleeping on the sidewalk. She earns some money to eat and survive, but not to own her own home.  She cannot stay in the home she grew up in because she has chosen another Path to follow, and has been rejected by her family and all her friends for doing so.’  Then Jesus says, ‘Do you see all these people?  Do you know what?  I created them.  By my own hand, I crafted them into who they are.  And I love them dearly.’

I remember another time last year, I was in the same capitol city, in a taxi.  I had a few hours in the capitol city before flying out.  I had my headphones in my ears, actually trying to block out the heat, dust, and chaos of the city honking its horns on every side of me.  Brandon Heath’s “Give me your Eyes” song played, and convicted me of needing to ask God to give me ‘His Eyes’ for the world around me.  Well…I had His Eyes for a few minutes in that taxi ride earlier this week.  It was an overwhelming feeling – and honestly, made me aware all over again of how Big and Amazing our Father really is – to see and know each and every person down to the smallest detail.  Incredible.

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