Sunday, 24 March 2024
Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NIV)
This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it-the LORD is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
God's reality is so much greater than ours!
In 2009, two young men-Doug Arms and Marc Berruezo-set off with cameras, video equipment, and great enthusiasm to visit 14 countries in 7 months so they could communicate what Ambassadors for Christ International was doing around the world through Nationals in Ministry.
In Malaysia, they were escorted by Joe Duthie, AFCI's director of Asia, to visit the tribal jungles of the Penan people in Sarawak. On their last evening with the Penan, the young men prepared a slide show with pictures of their activities during the visit. The room was filled with everyone from the village, all straining to watch a small 38 cm (15 inch) computer screen.
After the evening program ended, a group of the Penan followed Doug and Marc back to their lodgings, eager to see more pictures. So, Doug showed them photos from the Connect trips to Europe, Africa, and South America. The jungle people were so intrigued - they had never been far from the place they grew up. The jungle was their whole world. And now they were seeing pictures from the wide world of which their jungle is only a small part.
Our personal reality usually completely fills our attention. Our own little corner of the world can seem to be the whole universe. However, as God reminded Jeremiah, who was rather overwhelmed by his circumstances, there is so much more around us and in store for us than we could ever begin to imagine.
Perhaps the experience of the Penan people watching photos of other parts of the world so unlike their own is somewhat like our reading about heaven: God's home is so different from ours, we can scarcely imagine it. Some believe it is only a dream. Scripture assures us that unimaginable blessings and rewards await those who are faithful to the Lord in this life. Will you ask the Holy Spirit to help you remember the greatness of God's reality when you feel overwhelmed?
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