During
our last night of debrief in Johannesburg the team had some prayer time.
I normally do not pray aloud during corporate prayer time, because there
are people on the team with the gift of prayer, and I have never wanted
to get in their way by babbling some ridiculous inarticulate prayer.
During this night, however, the Holy Spirit had something to say through
me. I didn’t consider it a big deal, because, I was just moving
my mouth and the Holy Spirit was making the words; but Marissa insisted
I write a blog about what the Holy Spirit said through me that night.
This
is the best of my recollection:
many people pity ‘Africa,’ God. So, they send their money,
feeling they’ve done their duty to help a ‘lost’ people.
People pray for Africans and for the missionaries visiting their church
with the little reminder prayer card many missionaries hand out.
Africa receive a lot of sympathy from Americans, but Americans don’t
realize that Africans, generally speaking, are happy. They’re
happy with little to no money. They’re not bothered with what
they don’t have. They don’t need shoes! They don’t
need Bibles! Africans are content with knowing Your presence,
God. They’re content with the little about You we were able
to teach them. God, help us to not need shoes. We think
we need shoes, but we don’t. We have You, and that is enough.
We don’t need shoes; they’re a petty garment, anyway. You
are enough Lord. As the team travels home, remind us of that,
as You have continually shown us that on the trip. God, give us
the courage and strength to not need shoes.”
This
prayer is also for you. I don’t need shoes to follow God, and
neither do you. I learned what little I need in regards to material
possessions to follow God. It’s actually easier to follow God
with as little as possible, because without all that junk I can go wherever
He wants me to. When I receive His call there is nothing to set
down. Luke tells us in chapter five of his gospel, “…They
pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him (vs.
11).” Jesus called His disciples, and they left everything,
and followed. The disciples left their homes, their jobs, and
even their families. I bet some of them didn’t even bring their
shoes with them to follow Jesus. We’re called to do the same,
leave everything — old habits, old friends, old burdens, old responsibilities
— and follow our Maker. It doesn’t matter if you left everything
a long time ago or if you have yet to leave everything behind.
Don’t be jaded by all that’s accessible in America. We can
always buy shoes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we need them.
