The tougher my trials and disappointments, the tighter I cling to the Master.
The tighter I cling to the Master the better I see His grace and His power.
The better that I see His grace and His power the stronger and clearer my testimony of Him!
Last week we discovered that a BYT boy would get married to a girl living in another village. The actual wedding would be in another village, but the usual heathen preparations were made in BYT, which included slaughtering the pig, and playing extremely loud wicked music over two loud speakers, supplied by our head man. It seemed the whole village came alive with revelry and mirth. We heard the dying screams of the pig, followed by the sound of heavy chopping, as many hands made light work of finely chopping the raw swine’s flesh, which is the delicacy of a heathen wedding here in our jungle mountains – topped only by the abundance of alcohol.
It was a poorly attended prayer meeting that night in our little Seventh-Day Adventist church. In answer to our fervent prayers the music stopped while we worshipped and started again shortly after. My heart was heavy, as I thought of the dear people around me. Many were baptized church members. Would they join in the dissoluteness and depravity surrounding them?
My heart was pounding in my head. My entire body seemed to be revolting against this wild and wicked music, which invaded our house and overpowered any headphone containing godly music. Heart breaking thoughts of our people conforming to worldly practices and their lack of concern for the things of heaven, drove me out of the house that night. I found myself climbing up the mountain trying to get away from the horrid, heavy beat of that wretched music so that I could commune with God.
At the top of the first mountain I could still hear that music. – I kept on walking. It was a beautiful night! The moon was large and full right at the horizon, making it easy to walk without the help of a flashlight. Finally all was silent. There was only the sound of night bugs and the faint breeze sending a light rustle of the leaves in the trees. I was not alone. I kept singing my Mother’s favorite song: “My God and I go in the field together, we walk and talk as good friends should and do. We clasp our hands…”
I rededicated my life to God that night. Watching that bright circle of light passing behind the dark outline of the trees as I passed by filled me with a greater longing to reflect the ‘Sun-of-Righteousness’ than ever before. I thought about something I had read in Gospel Workers:
“He who calls men to repentance must commune with God in prayer. He must cling to the Mighty One, saying, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me. Give me power to win souls to Christ!” page 509
Oh how I prayed for the people of my village!
I found myself all the way up to Hoe Pado (The big Pagoda) , which is 7 kilometers from our house, I still wanted to walk farther, but turned around, thinking that BletJhaw may be worried about me seeing that he was gone when I left the house. It was late and I still had 7 more kilometers to go! As I descended that last mountain into BYT, the music met my ears again and grew louder and louder as I came down. I thought of Moses descending Mt. Sinai and how he had to break God’s precious 10 commandments because of the people’s disobedience.
The next sermon I preached came straight from God. I can take NO credit. The title: “Believing the Devil.” It was a simple outline:
- A story of a girl who disobeyed and rebelled against her parents. Going to a party that her parents told her not to go to. She drank alcohol, met a young man who was drinking heavily, got into his car and had a head-on collision. At the hospital she asked the nurse to please tell her parents she was sorry and then she died. She did not know that the car they crashed into was her parents coming to find her and they were both killed also.
- The Bible story of Zedekiah who refused to believe God’s warnings from Jeremiah, therefore receiving his fateful end! Watched his children killed before him, then they gouged his eyes out and he died in captivity, just as predicted. Jeremiah 39:6,7
- I talked about myself. God sent me to BYT. It looks like my main purpose is medical because I care for the sick every day and go to other villages with medicine, but my main purpose is to teach them about God so they can love and obey Him and be saved. These things that they do will keep them out of heaven. I told them how much I love them and that I did not want to go to heaven without them. I pleaded with them and cried as I spoke. As BletJhaw interpreted he cried also. It was a very powerful time with the Holy Spirit in control. I noticed several wet eyes as I shook hands at the door afterward.
“True workers walk and work by faith. Sometimes they grow weary with watching the slow advance of the work when the battle wages strong between the powers of good and evil. But if they refuse to fail or be discouraged they will see the clouds breaking away and the promise of deliverance fulfilling…After doing what you can, wait for the Lord, declaring His faithfulness, and He will bring His word to pass. Wait, not in fretful anxiety, but in undaunted faith and unshaken trust!” 7T 245