THE HEART OF ASIAN OUTREACH / Peter U, Chairman

The storms of life

Psalm 57:12

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.”

 Everyone faces a storm but do not let the storm be in us. Many of us are facing enormous storms in our life right now and at times, we find our circumstances overwhelming. However, it is important we remember that God is bigger, much bigger than our circumstances. The Lord gives us comfort in His word in Joshua 1:9: “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Even though we know this well, it can be especially difficult to hold on to when we are filled with anxiety or fear. Being anxious and fearful can make our problems appear so huge that it causes us to lose sight of the one thing that can pull us through – our faith in Jesus.

 There will be many storms in our life that we cannot control, like this pandemic, but God will give us strength when we are dealing with these storms. We need to acknowledge that there are things outside our control that we cannot change, so instead let us identify, celebrate and embrace what we can learn from the situation. Instead of dwelling on the “what ifs” and the negatives of a given situation, focus on things that God has placed in your heart and how we can fulfil those plans He has for us, even in the midst of the pandemic. When you let go of all that holds you down and creates fear in you, you begin to see the bigness of God and how He can use you, regardless of the circumstances.

In a little village in Andhra Pradesh, Ps Joshua has also been affected by COVID-19. His once thriving church is only half filled now. Many in his congregation contracted COVID and those who did not were too fearful to venture out. Ps Joshua and his whole family are involved in ministry and they decided that the work of the Kingdom had to continue, COVID or no COVID. They had to bring hope to those around them. So, they began visiting the members, praying, sharing the gospel and encouraging them. Many of the members were filled with fear, confusion, anxiety and helplessness as coronavirus cases and deaths surged around them. Ps Joshua visited those sick with the virus, standing outside their homes at a safe distance to pray with them and reminding family members to observe the health guidelines.

He never gave up even when he faced troubles and persecution. He was taken to the police station and accused of forcing people to convert, and his wife was falsely accused of running a brothel business with the girls coming to the church. He and his wife were taken to the police station and interrogated. The police did not treat them kindly but all the accusations proved to be false and the police had to let them go. Roman 8:36: “As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” He had started building a church when the COVID pandemic started, but due to the lockdown all work had stopped. He decided that it was now time to start the building again, doing most of the work by themselves. Many asked him why he bothered as people were still not coming to church, but he had faith and believed that his faith in God is what gives him hope in the midst of this pandemic.

He told his members he believed that one day they would return to regular services in church and he wanted to be ready for that day. Seeing his faith many members returned to attending service, but he was careful to urge them to follow all health guidelines and social distancing. In order to keep the numbers in church to a safe level, he started a second service in another location 5 km away for the time being. He and his family are the bearers of hope in the midst of pain and suffering.

Ps Munirathnam has been in the mission fields for the last 18 years in a place called Nagalapuram.  He has already planted two churches in this district, reaching out to the least of the least. The people here are daily labourers in the rice fields and sugar cane plantations. People here are very poor.                Ps Munirathnam has faced many financial, political and religious challenges over the years, but he has never given up working tirelessly for the glory of God. During the pandemic he continued his work for the Kingdom. Though things have been cancelled because of the coronavirus, love is not one of them. He keeps his heart open to all those in need, reaching out and helping the poor and the destitute. Churches were closed for almost a year due to COVID-19 and all activities came to a standstill, even agricultural activities ceased. People began to lose hope and started thinking thoughts like, “We are going to die, why must we work?”

Faced with this situation, Ps Munirathnam organized a 40- day fast and prayer for protection from COVID-19. He did not expect many people to turn up, but the church remained open 24 hours, and he stayed in the church the whole time, fasting and praying. Word spread in the village and slowly the Hindus started coming in groups asking him to pray for them; he did and shared the gospel with them. Many came to the church with fear but left free from the fear of death. It was a breakthrough to see the Hindu people enter the church, setting aside all religious barriers. What the devil meant for evil, God turned it around for good. COVID-19 has given Ps Munirathnam the opportunity to serve the people and share the love of Jesus with them.

He shared a testimony about a couple who had been trying for seven years to have a child. The husband blamed the wife and became a drunkard, but last year the wife came to Ps Munirathnam and he prayed for her and shared the gospel with her. She began to feel hopeful and started to fast and pray. After three months she conceived and gave birth to a baby boy recently. Her husband was overjoyed and stopped drinking. Both of them have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

This pandemic presents us with an opportunity to witness how the Spirit works no matter what may be falling apart around us. Our faith invites us to respond to this pandemic in creative and unique ways, born out of love, compassion and self-giving. Let us choose to expand our compassion and be bearers of hope in the midst of pain and suffering. Only this way will we change this story of pain and suffering into one of compassion, love and victory in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58: “But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”