Strangers in a Strange Land

 


Early one morning, I was standing on a deck, overlooking a lush green lawn.  The building was located on several acres and was surrounded by rolling hills, with deer grazing in the distance.  There was a beautiful morning sky.

Surprisingly, what caught my attention was two long strands of yellow grass, there in the middle of that sea of green.  Immediately my imagination went wild.  Why were they there? How did they get there? Will they multiply and eventually take over the entire lawn or will they be snuffed out by the overwhelming green surrounding them?  They looked lost and out of place. 

 Probably because I was attending a Prayer Conference at the time, God moved my thoughts from those two strands of grass to Christians in the middle of unreached people groups.  They are all alone just like those two strands of grass!  How overwhelming that must be!

Unlike the yellow strands of grass, we know exactly why the Christians are there: to take the Good News to those who have never heard.  They are there because they have obeyed God’s command to go. 

Still, some of the same questions that surround that yellow grass also surround those Christians.  Will they be able to multiply and eventually win the entire people group to Christ or will the barriers and persecution be too much?  Will they be pushed out by Satan’s strongholds?  In many instances, they will also look totally out of place, being very different from the people they are trying to reach. 

Fortunately, they have something that those yellow strands of grass will never have:  the power of the Holy Spirit.  Just as those yellow strands of grass must have deep roots if they have any hope of survival, Christians everywhere must stay connected to the Vine if they have any hope of not just surviving but producing fruit.  Jesus made it very clear in John 15 that “apart from [Him] you can do nothing.”

Christians among strangers in a strange land may look out of place.  They may appear to be destined for failure as they face the obstacles against them.  However, God sent them on that journey, and He will provide everything they need.  As they remain faithful in their commitment, He will go before them, and unlike the yellow strands of grass, they will be able to withstand any attempts to snuff them out.  He will not abandon them, and His Word will not return void!

John 15: 1 – 8

Isaiah 41: 10

 

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