Wait
. . .
Saturday
Devote
yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
-- Colossians 4:2
by
Jo Ronde
Imagine
yourself in Kenya. The air smells of strong
mint and robust sage. You can’t see where it grows,
for it is hidden in six-foot-high elephant grass, looking
like wheat fields at harvest time back home. Coal black,
almost blue, people walk toward you along the brick-orange
paths slicing through the tall grass. You remember
the verse in Genesis where God told the nations He created
man in His own image. You think, how incredibly handsome
God must be in His glory.
You
drive inside the safety of your jeep to the slums of Soweto,
population 578,000, the same as Seattle. So this is what
Seattle would look like without running water, electricity,
sanitation, paved roads. Mungu (God) bends downs and whispers
in your ear:
"Focus
on the people, not the situation.”
Eager,
bright-eyed children in blue school uniforms approach. Children
are children wherever you go; they love to giggle, to play;
they want to be loved. You ask the Compassionate Protector
of children to show you how to pray for these children who
live in the slums of Soweto.
Beyond
the circle of children, the grown-ups catch
your eye; 80% are in various stages of AIDS. The rest look
very very old and severely malnourished. You wonder if they
might be just your age. The Healer asks,
“Will
you pray for the sick?”
You
are touched by Him asking and not commanding. He waits in
silence for your answer.
At
the edge of the circle you see other groups of people mixing
with the sick, the young, and the old. The Father of All
Nations lifts you taller than a giraffe’s neck can
stretch and shows you:
Over
there are the ones from organizations partnering with
the poor.
Here, the very
sick themselves who live in this slum and take in the orphans
and vulnerable children.
And
these – they help others who are strung out on drugs.
And
there – races of every Nation – “those
are the people who believe without seeing.” They will
never walk the bright orange soil you have walked nor enjoy
the colors you have seen in Kenya. These are the ones who
pray for all and more than you see right here.
Jesus,
imprint inside all our hearts and minds to match your
will. Show us how to pray for the Kenyans, the children
living inside of Soweto, those who are HIV positive, those
who have AIDS, and for those who partner with the poor.
Give us your plan. You are the Bridge from Kenya into
Bethany. Amen.
An Advent Journey