It was another day in eternity. Jean and I had been looking forward to the outreach all week. We happily climbed into the back of the camion (a large, open-air, flat-bed truck we use for evangelism) and squeezed in with the existing twenty or so student pastors and visitors. After leading the introductions and prayer, we were off! The first leg of the journey was quite nice as we drove on the main road. After some time, we saw a smiling group of people from a local Iris church waving furiously and jumping up and down. They had walked for hours to get to the main road to ensure we would not pass them by. Eagerly they climbed in…what is 12 more people anyway? (Praise God, they did not have any goats, chickens, or smelly fish!) We set off again, this time on a narrow back road. Sitting in the back of the truck, we felt every bounce and bump of the rough terrain. Traveling the back roads of Mozambique is anything but comfortable, but our hearts were full. The air was thick with expectation and excitement. What would Jesus do tonight? How would He display His glory? How would He bring another village into His Kingdom???
After we arrived in Mahla, the target village, there was no doubt we were in the bush bush. We could only see a dozen mud huts within sight, but already a crowd was forming. The student pastors helped set up for the Jesus film while the visitors played with the local kids. Soon we had the music pumping and the crowd began to swell. As the sun set, I began to reflect on the headlines I had skimmed earlier online: Election tensions, Wall St. in crisis, banks failing, etc. I wondered about the turmoil in America as I looked upon the precious village of Mahla. By now we had over three hundred people gathered and everyone seemed enraptured by the Jesus film. The people that were before me never worry about their financial security. For the most part no one worries about tomorrow. In Africa, people live in the moment, hungry to squeeze every bit of pleasure possible from the hour…and that evening Jesus was visiting Malha! What could be more important?
What about us? In times of crisis, who do we trust for deliverance? Our Mozambican family can teach us so much in this area. Most westerners always have a “Plan B.” We have so many sources of deliverance at our finger tips: money, health insurance, good medical care/hospitals/medicine, retirement plans, 401K, credit cards, etc. When these things are threatened, many people are left feeling vulnerable and fearful, which brings the question to light- where is our trust? My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:5-8. For those of us who embrace these uncertain times as a divine opportunity, God promises to richly reward us. God is awakening one of the greatest blessings on earth…being poor in spirit! God is seeking believers who are so desperately dependent upon Him that they embrace this poverty of spirit. In this low place, God opens the heavens and invades earth….
After the film, Jean preached the simple Gospel in power and love. Hands went up throughout the field of people who wanted Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. After having the pastor of the village lead the crowd in prayer, Jean called forth the sick. People pressed in for prayer. We saw a young boy healed of deafness and several other people instantly healed of malaria (fevers dropped or headaches stopped instantly). We sang for hours as we returned home knowing Mahla will never be the same….
We love you friends. Come what may, God is good! Hear His voice wooing you to the same broken place of abandonment. Come what may…to God be the glory! Amen.
