Whispers
Outside the window, a man stands in the market place with a microphone and a sound system, yelling his version of the gospel at everyone who walks by. I watch him, wondering what the people are thinking as they stare at him and keep on walking.
Being in Nicaragua has made me think a lot about mission work and how I can be a missionary in just the few short weeks that I am here. Part of me wants to be like that man. I almost want to shout Jesus' name and tell everyone about Him! At the same time, part of me knows that shouting is not what people need.
At first, I felt like a true missionary is someone that is bold in speaking the name of Jesus, someone who tells everyone that they meet about having hope in Christ. Last night, as I was lying in my bed and praying, I was asking God to help me be the best missionary that I could be. I prayed that I would be bold, that I would do big things for the kingdom, and that I would be able to tell as many people about Jesus as I possibly could. Although my prayer sounded good and sincere, I did not feel at peace about it at all. In fact, I kept thinking about that man in the market.
I stopped in the middle of my prayer, and in that silence, God spoke. He gently touched my heart and whispered to me, you don't have to shout, you just need to whisper.
The Lord lifted my burden as I realized that a missionary is not always someone who cries out from the rooftops. It is not someone who shouts "JESUS" at every person they meet. It is not even someone who always does really big things for the kingdom. Rather, a missionary is someone who does little acts of service by simply watching for needs and seeking to meet them. Instead of preaching on the street corners, they just serve. And when they serve, they touch the hand of the one they are serving and whisper the name of Jesus.
I changed my prayer last night. Instead of asking God to help me do big things for the kingdom, I asked Him to give me the eyes to see the small things that need to be done. Instead of relying on my own ability to save the lost, I asked God to help me see where He is already at work so that I can join Him. My complex prayer became a simple one: God, I do not have much to give, but take what I have in my hands and use it for your glory.
Maybe this revelation of mine from last night is simple, but it changed the way I lived today. I did not feel pressured to be a missionary, it just flowed naturally out of my love for the Lord. I did not feel the need to shout, just to serve. That is what Jesus did - He recognized people's needs, met them, and then to pointed to God as the source. That is the example I want to follow - the example that we all can follow. With this mindset, we do not have to feel incapable or inadequate in our mission fields. We do not have to do it all on our own because God takes what He has placed in our hands and uses it for His kingdom. We don't have to change hearts - God does that. All we really need to do meet people's needs with the love of Jesus, and when they wonder why, we just point them to the Lord.
Though it seems small, that is the biggest gift that we can give.
Being in Nicaragua has made me think a lot about mission work and how I can be a missionary in just the few short weeks that I am here. Part of me wants to be like that man. I almost want to shout Jesus' name and tell everyone about Him! At the same time, part of me knows that shouting is not what people need.
At first, I felt like a true missionary is someone that is bold in speaking the name of Jesus, someone who tells everyone that they meet about having hope in Christ. Last night, as I was lying in my bed and praying, I was asking God to help me be the best missionary that I could be. I prayed that I would be bold, that I would do big things for the kingdom, and that I would be able to tell as many people about Jesus as I possibly could. Although my prayer sounded good and sincere, I did not feel at peace about it at all. In fact, I kept thinking about that man in the market.
I stopped in the middle of my prayer, and in that silence, God spoke. He gently touched my heart and whispered to me, you don't have to shout, you just need to whisper.
The Lord lifted my burden as I realized that a missionary is not always someone who cries out from the rooftops. It is not someone who shouts "JESUS" at every person they meet. It is not even someone who always does really big things for the kingdom. Rather, a missionary is someone who does little acts of service by simply watching for needs and seeking to meet them. Instead of preaching on the street corners, they just serve. And when they serve, they touch the hand of the one they are serving and whisper the name of Jesus.
I changed my prayer last night. Instead of asking God to help me do big things for the kingdom, I asked Him to give me the eyes to see the small things that need to be done. Instead of relying on my own ability to save the lost, I asked God to help me see where He is already at work so that I can join Him. My complex prayer became a simple one: God, I do not have much to give, but take what I have in my hands and use it for your glory.
Maybe this revelation of mine from last night is simple, but it changed the way I lived today. I did not feel pressured to be a missionary, it just flowed naturally out of my love for the Lord. I did not feel the need to shout, just to serve. That is what Jesus did - He recognized people's needs, met them, and then to pointed to God as the source. That is the example I want to follow - the example that we all can follow. With this mindset, we do not have to feel incapable or inadequate in our mission fields. We do not have to do it all on our own because God takes what He has placed in our hands and uses it for His kingdom. We don't have to change hearts - God does that. All we really need to do meet people's needs with the love of Jesus, and when they wonder why, we just point them to the Lord.
Though it seems small, that is the biggest gift that we can give.
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