Sitting in the darkness of my bedroom…
the power is out…and the rain is pounding on the tin roof. Each time I roll
over, I squish another ant into my sheets. As I lay here, squinting into the blinding
light of my laptop, I can’t help but think, “This place is beautiful."
During my time in Nicaragua thus far, I have
continued to notice one thing, time and time again. There is something that the
Christians here in Nicaragua have that I don’t. It is something I could not
place my finger on for many weeks, but today, I think I have discovered just
what they have… Something amazing – Something life changing. And I want it too.
Christians in Nicaragua know the power of prayer. I
mean they really, really know. Growing up in an incredibly fortunate family in the
United States, I have never known what it means to live in poverty. I have
never known what it means to go hungry. I have never known what it means to
send my children to school with ripped shoes and growling bellies. I have never
known the pain of an absent and cheating husband or father. I have never known
the pain of complete rejection. I have never known what it means to live in a
place where God appears to be absent. But for many people in Nicaragua… This is
normal. This is life. This is a third world country.
I am so blessed and
beyond thankful for the life and
family I have been given. I have known the love of Jesus since the day I
was
born, and what a precious gift it has been to have never lived a day
without Him. I have always had plenty of food, a roof over my head, and
family
that loves me more than anything! So when have I ever needed to worry?
When have
I ever wondered if I would have food tomorrow? When have I had to cry
out to
God for strength because my father, who was our only source of income,
left our
family to be with another woman? Never. The answer is never.
Of course, we all face trials. Living in this sinful
world, we all face sickness, pain, and tragedy... but is that the only time we
are on our faces before the Father? Why is it that we are not daily crying out
to Him – thanking Him, worshiping Him, and lifting up others to Him? We say we are too busy; that we don't have time.Is He not
worthy? When we are surrounded by everything that we need… everything we could
ever want… we find no reason to talk with God beyond our morning devotions or
our goodnight prayers.
The Christians here know
what means to live in fear
and in poverty. Most of them know what it means to have lived life prior
to knowing the love of Jesus. They have had countless moments of crying
out to God in desperation, sleepless nights,
unaware of what tomorrow will bring. And because of these things, they
have
come to know the power of prayer. They have seen God provide, day after
day.
They have been in the darkest, most painful places, and seen God
restore. They
have come out of broken families and poverty stricken homes… places and
relationships where the devil is very present. They have witnessed,
first hand,
the unbelievable power of the mighty God, and they are never looking
back.
I am so inspired when I hear the stories of these
people, the pain they have experienced, and then have the opportunity to hear
them pray. It happens every time. The words that flow out of their mouths cause
chills down my spine… even when I am unable to fully understand because of the
language barrier. I have never known the Holy Spirit to be as obviously present
as it is in these moments. Everything they do revolves around prayer. Every
house we visit, we pray. Every meal we eat, we pray. Every person we meet, we
pray. Even the spare moments we have between activities, we pray. When someone
is hurting, we pray. When someone is rejoicing, we pray. It is constant. It is
passionate. And never in my life have I seen the Lord work in these ways.
The Christians in Nicaragua know what it means to
have faith. They know what it means to rely on God with everything they have.
They know how to find restoration in brokenness, joy in the darkness, and beauty
in ashes.
Today marks exactly one month that I have been here,
and the time has flown by! As a part of my internship, I am required to write
journals from a list of prompts throughout my time here. My first day here, I
was required to write a goals paper. In the paper, I listed a few goals that I had
for this trip, the main goal being to learn the power of prayer. Looking back,
I do not remember writing this at all. I don’t remember having this as one of
my goals, let alone the main one. I thought I knew how to pray. I thought I knew
what it meant to have faith. I thought I knew that prayer was powerful. It is
clear to me now that God is working. He is revealing himself to me in new ways,
most of which I cannot even see or comprehend. I don't have it all figure out, but one thing is clear: He is fulfilling dreams, goals,
and desires I did not even know I had, and for this I am thankful.
