I wrote most of this blog at the end of the MHT but didn't quite finish it and never posted it. Although it is extremely late, this blog serves as a sort of recap and reflection of our time in Nepal, drawing from some evening devotions we did together as well as conversations I had with some of the other Mission helpers. I tried to the best of my knowledge credit people who gave me some of the inspirations for this post, but if I forgot anyone, it wasn't on purpose, and I sincerely apologize.
In my first blog I spoke of an opportunity that Pastor Sam Rodebaugh and I had to pray over some members of the congregation we were at that had various physical issues. I also wrote about how I felt, in the moment, unprepared to pray over someone. There was a creeping thought of "Who am I? I can't help these people with their problems." I think part of that realization is important. I can't help these people. This is something I talked with Pastor Sam about. He pointed out the obvious problem with that thinking. Of course YOU cannot help them with their problems, that's why we pray. We have the privilege of a very real God who has a very real love for us (that sentence is almost word for word from one of Sam's devotions). When we pray we acknowledge that God is the Great Physician and the One who knows the plan for each and every one of our lives. Sam also pointed me to James 5, and gave a devotion on this text later in the trip, to address the power and importance of prayer. Part of that text is "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit (v16-18)." We are exactly like Elijah, sinful people who need a Savior. He prayed for something seemingly impossible and God granted His prayer. For me this is a great reminder to "pray without ceasing" like it says in the Bible. A reminder to put every burden or anxiety, no matter how big, small, or impossible it might seem directly on the shoulders of our Savior and Father in prayer. Nepal is a country where many of the things we take for granted like safe travel, good roads, or predictable weather are replaced with windy cliff-side roads, landslides, and sudden monsoons. The importance of prayer suddenly comes much more into focus in this sort of environment. We prayed daily for safe travel and good weather, and the LORD thankfully blessed us with safe passage and good weather. On one occasion a landslide occurred on the same road we had travelled only hours after we had passed. Raju told us we would have been stopped on that road for 28 hours. But instead we made it to our destination that evening and were able to go and teach the next morning. These are the kind of things that we simply have no control over. We can't hold back the rain or catch the rocks tumbling towards the roads. What we can do is pray to our All-Powerful Heavenly Father and then have the peace of mind knowing that He is in control and "that all things work together for good to those who love God."
TLBWYA,
Ethan Sydow
