South Sudan has only known war. With the history of violence
and war, the people are understandably, fearful and untrusting. We have heard
many stories of hope (which I’m sure we will share more of over time), but
overall the remnants of war still very much exist here- especially in regards
to fear.
I was reading in Isaiah recently and this verse stood out to
me:
“No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or
destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and
your gates Praise”. Isaiah 60:18
As soon as I read this, it became my prayer for South Sudan.
Oh Lord, please do not allow violence to be heard here any longer. Do away with
ruin and destruction in this place. Allow this to be a place of salvation and
praise!
When I started to pray this over South Sudan, I realized
that someone who has endured the decades of war that have gone on in this
country (and formerly, in Sudan) might have a hard time believing this could be
possible. After all, when you have seen the evil that has taken place first
hand, it seems more difficult to imagine it could be conquered. I believe this
is why God calls His people to intercede on behalf of others. As an outsider to
the history of the war here (meaning, I didn’t have to experience it first
hand), I am able to believe in faith that God can overcome the evil in this
country. I believe His love can conquer the history of evil in this place.
1 Corinthians 13: 6-7 says, “Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, ALWAYS HOPES,
always perseveres.”
I believe that a huge part of our role here as missionaries
is to have hope for this country.
My prayer for our time here is that we would be able to
intercede on behalf of South Sudan and remain hopeful that good can and will
conquer evil. I think a large part of our purpose here is to remind people
there is hope- and to believe this for them when they cannot believe it
themselves.
Would you please join us in interceding on behalf of this
nation? Please pray for peace in place of war and destruction.
Hi guys! I'm a few weeks behind on reading your blog and came across this one today. It's awesome! Holding onto hope takes such courage in a place where darkness has reigned. You might not see its impact everyday but, for me at least, reading your stories gives me encouragement to hold onto the light in my dark situations. Thank you! We pray that God would continue to give you strength and courage.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Laura! We are so grateful for your encouragement and prayers! Blessings to all of you!
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