Kami no shimo be- Servant of God: September 2013

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Today I heard the incredible news that my teammates will be arriving in Japan on September 27th! While this is super exciting in and of itself, I also find it a huge testimony to the Lord's amazing grace in my life. September 27th was the deadline our sending region set by which we had to hear about my teammates' visas. If they weren't in hand by then, my three teammates would not be coming to Japan, and my teammate and I already in Tokyo would be re-routed elsewhere to meet them.

Initially that date was a scary and uncertain marker that would seemingly determine if I got to stay in Japan...not exactly an uplifting or hopeful situation. After that deadline was set I found myself crying out to the Lord in fear, anxiety, even anger at the thought of not being allowed to remain in the place I loved so much.

In his infinite patience and grace, he reminded me of Job's words in chapter one of his book- "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21). Wow.

That really broke me.

How much has the Lord given me? Life, family who follows Him, friends who love me and pray for me, health, shelter, education, the ability to see and delight in the world around me...the list goes on. All of this was given to me by my loving Heavenly Father. And he can just as easily take it all away, he has every right to take this sinful life away, to put me somewhere other than Japan. Whatever might happen, whether he give or take away, I need to learn to say wholeheartedly "blessed be the name of the Lord."

Praising his name and seeing his glory proclaimed among the nations should not be dependent on whether I feel he has given me enough. It should only be dependent on the fact that he is the Lord, he is God of the universe, he alone is worthy of our thanksgiving and praise.

September 27th will come and my teammates will come with it. God has given me another year to serve him in Japan. He could just as easily have taken that away, but my heart's desire is that either way I would be able to bless his name.

Whatever comes in whatever amount of time he sees fit to give me on this earth, I pray I will spend every moment I can blessing his name.

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Simple Servant

I read back through a short work by Andrew Murray called Jesus Himself during my quiet time yesterday. One of the passages was like a script from my heart- Andrew was taking the words right out of my mouth, albeit with a much more elevated diction than I would ever use :)

Here they are, and may God have grace on me to have this be true in my life.

From Jesus Himself:

"When I think of all the struggles and difficulties and failures of which many complain, and know that many are trying to make a new effort to begin a holy life, their heats fearing all the time that they would fail again, owing to so many difficulties and temptations and the natural weakness of their character, my heart longs to be able to tell them in words so simple that a little child could understand, what the secret is of the Christian life.

And then the thought comes to me, Can I venture to hope that it will be given to me to take that glorious, heavenly, divine Lord Jesus and to show Him to these souls, so that they can see Him in His glory? And can it be given to me to open their eyes to see that there is a Divine, Almighty Christ, who does actually come into the heart and who faithfully promises, "I will come and dwell with you, and I will never leave you?" No; my words cannot do that. But then I thought, my Lord Jesus can use me as a simple servant to take such feeble ones by the hand and encourage and help them; to say, Oh, come, come, come, into the presence of Jesus and wait on Him, and He will reveal Himself to thee. I pray God that He may use His precious Word. It is simply the presence of the Lord Jesus. That is the secret of the Christian's strength and joy."

I pray the Lord Jesus would use us as simple servants to come alongside the feeble, wandering, fearful in the world and take them by the hand and lead them to the Almighty.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

There and back again

I write these words in the comfort of my teeny tiny apartment in Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo! After a few months back in the states it's surreal but also sweet to be back here in Japan. God has done so much to bring me to this place- it's humbling to think about.

I'm still in a bit of a limbo state as 3/5ths of my team (aka three people) are still waiting to receive visas. My re-stinting teammate and I came ahead of them in order to renew our visas from last year. While we wait for our teammates we're just kinda hanging out- seeing friends, getting settled in, going to old haunts around the city, and mentally preparing for when university starts in a couple weeks and ministry is in full swing.

It feels so normal being here. Walking to get groceries, taking the train, going to the nearest 7-eleven for whatever I need, it just feels right. Funny how one can make that switch so quickly. Leaving home and family felt harder this year, more costly, but being back in Japan also feels more satisfying. I truly love this place and its people. It means the world that the Lord has allowed me to return.

Each culture has its little quirks and a very distinct personality. I love being able to be immersed in Japan's personality again. As much as this place needs the hope of the gospel it is also very apparent how the Lord poured himself into the making of these people. There is so much beauty, so much rich tradition, so much courage and honor and perseverance. Certainly it is broken and tainted, but the Lord can fully redeem all these aspects of the culture. I'm praying he will continue that work through me and my team this upcoming year.