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We visited a church called International Christian Assembly yesterday, and a pastor named Tim Paton spoke to us from 2 King 6:24-33. The passage talks about a famine in the city of Samaria, and how a woman cries out to the king in distress. The woman goes on to tell the king that she had a deal with another mother to give up her son to eat one day, and then they would eat the other son the next day. However, the other woman had hidden her son the next day.
The noteworthy point about the passage is not the mother's cry for help, but the king's reply in verse 30, "When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his robes."The challenge is that you should respond in the same way when your heart is broken for a country for some social injustice. When people hear about third world countries and how much need there is in this world, they often respond with indifference or pity. However, if your heart is ripped open, then that is probably a good indicator that God wants to use you. In whatever capacity God will use you may be unknown; but if you keep your clothes torn and your heart open, then God will open doors for you.
The message is particularly challenging for me because I am not entirely sure if my heart is torn open for Cambodia or any other country for that matter. I feel like I lack so much faith and that I am not ready to be used by God. The way that I have selfishly planned out my life is that I will go to law school, get a nice job, get married, have a family, and only after I have completed everything on my list, will I start to focus on what God wants me to do. I think this mission trip has really challenged my faith and outlook on life, and I really need to pray about how God is working in my life...
richard park
