David's Reflections

Freedom Sunday - Pray for the Abolition of Slavery

Today is Freedom Sunday. This is the day we all start mobilizing our local churches to pray and work towards the abolition of modern slavery. Praying . . . .

A few year back, I met Shiaomei here in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She was only 12 years old when she was sold by her mother to a brothel owner. Against her will, she was moved from Vietnam, to China, to Taiwan, to work at different brothels, restaurants, and homes. I met her when she came to visit one of our Southeast Asian cultural shows, sponsored by several NGOs in this city of Kaohsiung. I sang Filipino love songs to entertain some of our distinguished guests. She was there to represent the Vietnamese group displaying some of its exotic foods. At that time, she was temporarily under the protection of one of the NGOs. I learned later she was trying to escape a very violent family setting. I talked to her for a short time. I looked deep into her eyes and prayed to my God to intervene on her behalf. Since then, my prayers for victims of human trafficking has never been the same. 

Now, I do not know where Shiaomei is. Last time I heard, she is still in Taiwan, in the vicinity of Taipei, moving from one local family to another, working as a cook, waitress, and most probably other odd jobs that are undesirable. I pray for her. I do not know exactly what to pray for, but I still pray for God's intervention in her life. Praying . . . .

Walking, Praying, and Listening

Prayer Walks. How do you stay focused? You're walking along and there are a lot of distractions from loud music to half-naked people sitting in front of their apartments. What impact do you have anyway? You will only be there for less than an hour. You do not know anyone. Everyone you see is a stranger to your eyes. How much "gospel" do you share to the people you meet?

This morning, I was with a group of five ladies from the Higher Ground Church (NHGCC), a Filipino congregation here in Kaohsiung. We went to visit Newsong Church, a Chinese congregation located in San Min District of this city. I accompanied these ladies so we can do a "prayer walk" in the San Min Park. This is in preparation for our joint Christmas outdoor activity this December 17, 2011. I am very encouraged because Pastor Terry of Newsong Church has taken the initiative to organize this event with the intention that in the future their Chinese congregation will be able to reach out to the Filipino workers in its vicinity. Pastora Tessa of NHGCC has gladly approved this joint venture and sent these five ladies to "scout" the San Min Park and pray for God's leadership.

Before we went to the park, I shared to the five ladies the above questions. I also explained some of my answers to the dilemma posed by this set of questions. The bottom line is that one listens to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God will tell us when to pray and what to pray for. He will also tell us who are the people who need our prayers. So we walk and we pray. Most of all, we listen to the small still voice of the Holy Spirit.

"You are only there for a moment," I continued to share to the ladies. "Everyone is a stranger. You do not know them. But God knows these people. He knows their needs. You pray and ask God what should you pray for these people. You wait for the Holy Spirit to illumine your spirit so that you know with certainly what the needs are."

God knows them. He is already making plans to bring them to his love and receive his forgiveness and salvation. He does not need our prayers to make these plans come to reality. However, he desires for us to participate in his plans. He loves to tell us the needs of the people around us. He likes it when his children are petitioning him in behalf of the people who do not yet know him. We pray and we listen. We walk and look at people's faces with the eyes of God. Walk, pray, and listen to the Spirit of God.

Heart For Japan

Today's paper tells the story of a group of Japanese swimmers doing a 120 km. (74 miles) relay swim from the Yonaguni Island, the south-westernmost part of Japan, to Taiwan. The story has a huge front page photo of the Japanese swimmers triumphantly celebrating their feat together with many Taiwanese well-wishers who join them in the waters swimming alongside them and giving welcome and approval with their thumbs-up sign to the entourage from Japan. The caption says the Japanese swimmers want "to express gratitude for Taiwan's help after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami." The world knows of course that Taiwan gave a huge sum, the biggest donation from any country, to help with the relief and rehabilitation work after the March 11 devastation. Both countries have always felt a strong bond of friendship for each other, even more now after March 11, 2011.

Let me switch gears here and tell you a story I heard from my good friends, Pastor Katsumi, from Japan, and Pastor Shirish, from India. Right after the March 11 earthquake, a small village church in India decided to collect some money and donate it to the on-going relief work in Japan. So the pastor and leaders of this church approach Pastor Shirish and ask him how they can send the money to Japan. To make the long story short, Pastor Shirish handed the money to Pastor Katsumi.

This little indian village church gift was a small amount. Compared to all the other big donations from big corporations and well-known organizations, the amount was miniscule. Considering the enormous need for relief and rehabilitation, the gift was a drop in a bucket. But the hearts of these Indian Christians were gigantic. Pastor Katsumi told me later, "The next time we are in India, I will personally go to that village and thank the members of this Free Methodist Church in person." What great hearts for the people of Japan.

Praying and Walking

I am not really walking. I am more like jogging, running, and sometimes sprinting here in this Kaohsiung Arts Museum Park. It is my time for exercise and I am also taking this opportunity to spend time in praying for the people of Taiwan. I am asking the Spirit for guidance in when to pray and who will be the persons I will be praying for.

I see him sitting in his wheel chair with his helper who looks like an Southeast Asian person, probably an Indonesian. Lord Jesus, I pray for the many elderly people of Taiwan. I pray for good health, and most especially for spiritual vitality. May they seek the Creator of the Universe in this time when their earthly life is almost fading. Send them your angels. Send more Christian helpers from Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, who can care for them and share the gospel to these Taiwanese families.

Now, I am running. I am almost at the end of my exercise routine. Time to leave the park and head out for home. What a beautiful sight! That little baby (probably a year old) is kissing his mother goodbye. I am guessing the lady holding the baby is another family member, perhaps an aunt. Three people united in their love and lost in their embrace. Lord Jesus, I pray for the many families in Kaohsiung. May they find Divine love in the midst of their blessings and joy.  I pray for our neighbor, the young couple with two small children. May they be filled with heavenly blessings. Guide Sarah and I as we continue to befriend them. Bless our short and brief moments together when we see them across the street or chat for a few minutes. May they see Jesus in our lives and seek your face.

Ten o clock in the morning. I am sitting with Pastor Shirish here in a coffee place at the HSR (High Speed Rail) train station. We are waiting for Shirish's train that will take him to Taipei and unto Mumbai, India. We are talking about a future missions conference in India sometime January 2013. I am walking him to the boarding gate. Lord Jesus, I pray for the many Free Methodist leaders of Asia and their desire to help many young people who want to serve you in a cross cultural ministry. Give them wisdom. Send them more workers, more youth who are ready to go and be your servants in Asia. I pray for Al, a teenager from our Chunglun FMC (Taiwan). I pray for his desire to learn more about missions work. Bless him. Prepare him. I thank you for his family who is very supportive of him.  I pray for Sam. I pray for Phoebe. I pray for the many young people from Taiwan who is seeking your direction. They need your guidance, Lord. They need to know where they can go to become your missionaries for Asia.

I am walking this hospital corridor with some students from the Holy Light Theological Seminary (HLTS). It is almost four in the afternoon. We are visiting some patients and volunteering our services in behalf of the "Hospital Chaplain Office." I see him lying in this hospital bed surrounded by his family, his wife, and his two adult sons. We sing songs. Although he has some kind of illness that incapacitates his physical movement, he follows the music with hand gestures, almost like conducting us with an invisible baton. His son smiles and watches his father enjoying our songs. We give his wife one of the song books and she sings with us. We pray for him.

It is almost 4:30 PM. We need to go back to the Chaplains office for our debriefing. One more room and we are done. I see him sitting upright. He seems to be too young to be here in this 9th floor ward. Lawrence, one of the seminary students with me, gives him a gospel tack. After our songs, Ruth, another seminary student, explains to the young patient the contents of the booklet. Lord Jesus, I pray for understanding. I pray that you send your Spirit to open this person's mind so he will grasp the beauty of your words, and the demands of your call to discipleship.

I am not really walking. I am more like sitting in this van with this group of seminary students heading back to the seminary to end our time of "evangelism" and afternoon ministry time. I need to spend more time praying for the people of Taiwan. But first, I need to wait on the Spirit's leadership. He will be the one who will tell me when to pray and who will be the people I will be praying for. In the meantime, I will wait, I will look and see, I will walk around Kaohsiung, and . . . I will pray.

Brothers and Sisters from the 9/11 and 3/11 Events

I am remembering our many brothers and sisters from the 9/11 (ten years) and 3/11 (6 months) events. Both dates have changed the world. Both phenomena have changed my prayers for people. God is our refuge and strength. He is our help in times of trouble (Psalms 46:1).

Prayer Walk

Shoulder to shoulder with everyone. This part of the road side is crowded. People are waiting for the green light. This pedestrian lane is a bottleneck area between the O's Mall and the Abejo Subway Train Station, here in Osaka, Japan. No wonder there are a lot of people, most especially that it is about a few minutes past six o' clock, most probably a time for people to be coming out of their work places and schools. Oopps, the green light is on. We are all rushing to cross the street. There are three people in front of me with a baby on a stroller. I think I will just follow them. They look so relaxed. The young lady, I am assuming is the mother, is happily chatting with the two other persons.

Dear God. I pray for the Japanese people. I pray for this family in front of me that in the beauty of their relationships and in the midst of their happy conversation, they will remember you. I pray that they will see you as the source of all beauty and the sustainer of all families here on earth.

I want to get away from the mall crowd and head out to the smaller streets. Maybe, I can walk the side street of The Loft Mall. Lots of fancy store. I see a very pretty young lady coming out of the mall. She is very attractive. She is with a young man. Mini skirt and tight dress showing all her good looks. She clings to his hand with such passion.

Dear God. I pray for the Japanese people. I pray for all the young ladies of this country. I pray for this couple that they will see your love in a very special way. Help them to not rely on the fleeting pleasures of this world. I pray for her that she will see the beauty and wisdom coming from a relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ.

At last, no more crowd! Just a little street alley at the back of The Loft Mall. Pizza? Wait! Is that what I see? "Simpatico Pizza." How can the owner make money if they are way out here where people do not pass by their pizza place? Maybe, they thrive on word of mouth advertising. I can see, through the side window, a darker-skinned person manning the counter. Looks like he is the owner. And he also looks European. Should I go inside?

Dear God. I pray for the Japanese people. I pray for the many Latin American migrant workers and immigrants who come to this country. Give them your peace. And when they are having difficulty adjusting to Japanese society, send them your angels to help them learn from you. May they find you during their stay here in Japan. I pray for the owner of this pizza restaurant that he wil find good business. May he be a blessing to the many fellow foreigners in the area.

I need to keep going. I have been walking for four blocks now and I do not see anyone who needs my prayers. I see a lot of people passing me by, but I must wait for the Spirit's urging before I pray for a person or group of persons. Just keep moving. And, whoa! That man in the bicycle almost hit me. He must be in hurry to be somewhere.

Dear God. I pray for the Japanese people. I pray for that man who is rushing to go some place. I pray that he will arrive safe. I do not know the reason why he is in a hurry. I pray you will help him. I pray for peace and harmony in his home. I pray that when he is with his children, he will sense your Spirit and seek you in the middle of his busy life.

I am almost to the corner of the guesthouse where I am staying. This small road side store looks good. The squid balls looks delicious. 10 pieces wrapped in a box. 300 yen sounds fair. Smells yummy! One more photo with the store owner before I leave. I am glad he understands a little English.

Dear God. I pray for the Japanese people. I pray for this squid ball store owner. Give him good business. Help him to look up to you as his source of life and his guide in his everyday activities. Give him strength as he continues to support his family through this small business.

Almost there. I can see the gate of the seminary where the guesthouse is located. These couple by the road are so adorable. Each of them is walking a dog. It is quite adoring that both of them are in their old age, probably in the 80s, and both dogs they are walking are also old. They must have been long-time companions. The four of them are slowly meandering up this hill. I turn to the right and enter the seminary gate while they keep going straight to where ever they need to go, probably home.

Dear God. I pray for the Japanese people. I pray for these two older man and woman that you will give them good health. And in their old age, they will look up to you as their source of hope and salvation. Give them your courage to face the life hereafter. Embrace them. Make them feel your love.

Praying for Creative Access Countries

Pastor J is going to Country MC this weekend. (I think it is somewhere in the middle of this month.) He is one of our veteran Taiwanese pastor who is doing missions work in Country MC in the area of leadership training and church planting. Pray for safe travel and a fruitful ministry. Pray that the police authorities won't be a hindrance to the spread of the Christian gospel. This is one country where evangelism and Christian discipleship is prohibited or, at the most, they must be sanctioned by the government and under government officials supervision. Pastor J will be there for almost two weeks. Pray for God's inspiration.

Another Creative Access Country L, where we (FMC) have an on-going ministry, has had a discouraging turn of events. If you have been following the Missions Hotline, you probably have heard about this piece of news. Our worker in Country L was told by government officials to stop his work. His car was confiscated. The property where he does ministry activities was also appropriated by the same government. Pray for God's intervention. Keep posted on the Missions Hotline updates. Pray that God's deliverance will come. Pray for God's encouragement to our worker there, Pastor C.

Also, this week, I am planning a short-term missions trip to Country MC this January 2012 with a group of graduate students from the seminary. We will visit a medical mission ministry together with its various clinics in the area and go to some locations where there is a huge concentration of Muslim people. Pray for God's direction. Pray for this planning stage. Also, pray for God's provision.

Emptiness

Sermon is ready. Powerpoint and manuscript are all set. I am looking forward to sharing at Feng Shan Free Methodist Church tomorrow. But, why am I still feeling empty? I know it is more than a feeling. It is mostly a condition, a posture on how I view my spiritual state right now. I need more of God in my life. These past few days, I had a "nudging" that I need to surrender more of me to God, a realization of my selfishness and debilitating desire to control my own direction. I pray now for God's forgiveness. I pray for His grace to overflow in my life. So help me God!

In this time of reflection, I looked back at some of my correspondence with Sarah. Last month, I was in North Chili, New York, for a conference (GC11). Sarah and the kids were left behind in Kaohsiung. I thought maybe the email letters below would explain everything.

(July 11, 2011, 4:33 A.M.)

Dear Sarah,

Four in the morning and I cannot get back to sleep. I am glad my room mate is still not here.

So how was your swimming? I am thinking of you at the living room with Jacob doing homework and Carmen on the computer. I miss you guys so much.

I love you so much. Please pray for me. God is showing me how empty I am. I am realizing every minute that there is so much more I need to receive from the Spirit of God. It is not just pride that needs to be rooted out. It is all of me. I really need to wait on God and seek Him more every second, every moment.

Love you,

David

(July 11, 2011, 5:41 A.M.)

My Dearest Sarah,

I am glad you had a good day. I will write you from time to time, most probably short notes.  This is the first day so I am sure we will all be busy.

About our search for God, I think where ever we are, on a conference or at home, the emptiness will always be there. I do not want to intellectualize this, but perhaps, when I come back, we really need to carve out a time for the two of us to pray and seek God, emphasis on seeking God. Not just a time to utter words of prayer, but be still before God, together. I do not know how to do it, but we will learn together. I do not know where it will lead us, but it will be a time and place to focus on the Presence of God, I mean, focus on His presence in the NOW. I know what I do not want. I do not want a prayer time with a lot of words, full of the expressions of our wishes, or a set of statements regarding our future plans before God. What I want is the Almighty God's visit in our lives. This will be a time to receive God in His glory and grace.

I know God wants this from the two of us. Let us do it.

Love,

David

Praying For Japan

Everyone is praying for Japan. I join the world in praying for mercy and God's joy and peace to come to the Japanese people. I read Psalms 46:1-3, and I am reminded that God is our refuge and strength. In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that devasted Japan, suddenly, reading Psalms 46 acquires a new meaning. "We will not fear!" God is here with us.

Jesus' Compassion From the Point of View of Matthew

When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on the people (Matthew 9:36, NIV). New Testament experts tell us that this kind of compassion is not a romantic kind of feeling or a knee-jerk reaction to what Jesus saw. Greek scholars, based on a lexical study of the word "compassion," stresses the point that Jesus' love for the crowd is a deep rooted kind, borne out of a serious reflection on and a commitment to understand the local people's life and situation. It is a concern that "grabs you by the gut," consumes your whole being, and compells you to act on it.

When we see people, are we consummed with Jesus' compassion? When we walk the city streets or talk to people at the grocery line, do we experience a love that "grabs us by the gut" or a concern that changes our whole life?

In so many ways, most Christians feel what Jesus felt when he saw the crowds, harassed "like sheep without a shepherd." But the problem is that, as time goes by, the feelings of concern become a memory, and eventually dies out to become merely a picture on a wall. So, how do we sustain this compassion? The answer is found in Matthew's narrative of Jesus' life and ministry.

Jesus' compassion was sustained by action and prayer. He went about "proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom" and bringing healing to needy people (Matthew 9:35 ESV). He told his disciples to pray and to petition the Lord of the harvest for more laborers (verse 38). And again, this action and prayer was not a single point in history or a one time event. If we look back on Matthew 4:23-25, we see that Jesus had already been to this location mentioned in chapter nine. He came back and did the same things that he did in chapter four. Jesus action and prayer is a well-planned strategy sustained through time. When he saw the crowds, it was not his first time to see them. He already saw them back in chapter four. He had plenty of time to think about the people of the surrounding areas. Jesus had compassion. And he acted on it with prayer and deliberation. He meditated on what he saw.

So, how do we sustain compassion? Let us follow Jesus' example. He was serious about what he saw. He acted on the need, and over time made plans to meet the needs of the people. What does this mean for us today? I will leave the specific answers to you, my dear readers. But one thing I suggest is that we keep coming back to the place where we first encountered the "compassion of Jesus." Let us not stop. Let us continue to serve God through the local people of that place, wherever that may be. Let us all be committed to the harvest.