City on a Hill

Whenever I travel, I try to send an email to the family every night with a devotional thought for the next morning.  One night, I wrote the following words. 

“Today, I opened my Good Book app, and it opened unexpectedly to Ephesians 5:

‘Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.’

I began thinking about how important it is to be honest and upright, especially in this line of work, where you feel that dishonesty can protect you.  It is a challenge to be in these places and not lie.  I began thinking of an email that Faruk* [a Muslim friend] had just sent me, talking about a treaty between Muhammed and certain Jews and Christians, a continued effort on Faruk’s part to convince me that his Prophet was a peaceful, honorable, and just man.  I thought about how hard it is not to get sucked into these side issues, when all I want to do is talk about the Lord, to talk about salvation, to talk about forgiveness.

Shortly thereafter, I was reading Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ, which says, ‘People are so fond of passing for learned men, and being congratulated on their wisdom—yes, but what a lot of knowledge there is that contributes nothing to our soul’s welfare!  […]  And here we are splitting hairs about all sorts of mysterious problems which do not concern us—we shall not be blamed, at our judgment, for having failed to solve them.  Strange creatures that we are, we forget the questions which really matter to us, matter vitally, and concentrate instead, of set purpose, on what is mere curiosity and waste of time.  So clear-sighted are we, and so blind!’

What gracious reminders of the simple task before me!  What a release from debates!  As I descended the hill from the airport into town, I saw a great city laid out before me.  It smoked, it smelled, it was choked with noise, odor, and frustrated dreams.  But on another hill above it, a great cathedral remained, shining white and beautiful, and I remembered that this is the city where a great man once lived and preached, and his legacy led to the salvation of millions of European, Asian, and African peoples.

My prayer today is that each of us will consider the mystery of ourselves and ask God to answer the questions posed by this mystery:  Why am I alive, Lord?  How can I be the person that you want me to be?  Who is hurting around me today and how can I comfort them?  Would you please help me in my hurts?”

The following day, I had this to share in my evening email: 

“I came out of the cathedral, got in the car and then heard a rapping at the passenger-side window.  I looked, and a little old lady was there.  She told me that she had no money for the taxi and that if I could give her a ride, even just a little way, it would help her.  She was holding a little present and a cane in her gloved hands.  Now, I am usually very cautious of people when I travel, but I figured that I could keep a little old lady from doing too much damage, so I opened the door and helped her in.  We took off, and she began talking about herself.  She was all alone and had relied on the sisters of the church for support.  But a problem had come up and the mother superior thought that the lady had been taking help when she actually had money, which meant that those who were needy weren’t getting helped.  It was a long story, but eventually, she said that she had been invited today to come up for a party by the nuns, and that they had given her a present.  She held it very closely to her.  She said that she was very lonely and that it had hurt her that the nuns would think that she would lie to them about her need.  I pulled over to drop her off, but I asked if I could pray for her.  She said yes, and looked like she was about to get out, probably thinking that I would pray for her later.  I stopped her and asked if I could pray for her right now.  She was surprised but agreed.  I asked her name, and she said that it is Fatma Rizzoli* (her father had been Italian).

I prayed: ‘Lord, you know that Fatma is hurting right now.  She is uncertain of her future, and her life is very difficult.  Lord, you know the truth about her, so even if others have believed lies about her, you know the truth, and you love her.  Be with her, let her know that we don’t seek our hope in this world, but in Your kingdom, which is coming.  We know that Jesus has done all that is necessary to make it so that we can be forgiven and live in Heaven with you forever, and He did that by dying for our sins so that you could forgive us.  I pray now for my sister Fatma, that you would comfort her and let her know that no matter how hard things are for her, You love her and will never leave her.  In Jesus’s name, amen.’

Fatma was crying very heavily.  She said, ‘Thank you, thank you so much.  For the first time in so long, I have hope.’

I told her that I was so glad to hear that and that God really does love her.  Then, I helped her out of the car and said ‘May God bless you, Fatma.’  She said, ‘May He bless you, too.’ 

Who will God bring in your lives today, I wonder?  Who hasn’t seen the City on the hill yet?  Do make sure to let me know.”

So, how about you, dear reader?  Are you sending people to foreign lands?  Wonderful!  But what of your neighbor, your nearest need?  Feel free to use this photo to tell them about the City on a Hill…and the One who lights it up with His Presence.

From GlobalGrace worker in Europe