It hits me every time.
I sit on the lush, colorful cushions, sipping my peppermint tea. The scent of coffee hangs in the air. The chandeliers catch the light in their crystal beads. Eager eyes take in the beauty of glass and white and silver in this elegant emporium and coffee shop. And though I enjoy the quiet beauty and refinement of this place my mind is thousands of miles away. I cannot reconcile the reality I am experiencing with the reality I am wrestling.
I cannot get her out of my mind. My heart is gripped.
SYRIA.
So many have already fallen victim to a regime that has no regard for servant leadership, for caring for and empowering her people. Pride has erupted into its many hideous manifestations: hatred, ego, selfishness, power lust, control. Lives that were known in the womb, with unique purpose and destiny, are now just ticks on the growing tally of collective death that is consuming this broken nation.
What can I do?
There is this deep desire to get on a plane and span the breadth of a continent, to immerse myself in a refugee camp and minister to the aching bodies and aching hearts that have nothing but breath in their lungs. But right now I am a continent away with no means to get there.
It would appear that I am helpless.
But I am not.
I can stand in the gap. I can bridge the heart of God to fallen earth. I can be a catalyst for change, shaking the Heavenlies and waging war against strongholds and high places that oppose the rule of God the Father and the authority of His son, Jesus.
I can intercede.
I can engage in this humble ministry of Jesus, who, standing before the Father on behalf of humanity - on behalf of me - ceaselessly prays for God’s will to be fulfilled in each person and in the nations for the glory of the Father.
And yet I do not. Why is it that I find this form of “help” so much less desirable?
I want to DO something practical. Something hands on. I want to look into the soul windows of the one I am helping and watch as a simple act of kindness transcends language and culture and brings hope and transformation. Maybe one day this desire will be birthed into the fullness of reality. But in my heart I know that God has not called me to this mission, not in Syria, not yet. And I have been in missions long enough to know that my short term, hands on intervention, however helpful, will benefit me far more than those I desire to serve. Of course I yearn for the satisfaction that I have done something to help the world, to carry the hope of Christ to the brokenhearted, to bring forth the Kingdom of God into the dark places of the earth.
But somewhere deep within me also lurks that same pride that has dominated and destroyed the very ones I long to help, wrestling for domination in my own heart. It wants renown, and though I want to help I also wouldn’t mind the gratitude and praise afforded for my noble efforts.
But intercession affords me none of that. In the secret place, covered in the shadow of the Almighty, I am the nameless laborer. I must discipline my heart and mind to carve out time from the daily goings on of my life in order to serve, unknown but to the LORD. And in doing so I engage with my Savior, co-laboring with Christ in His ministry of intercession day and night.
After His very public three year ministry on earth Jesus, the King of Glory, has spent millennia engaging in His ministry of intercession. Beyond the sight of the eyes of this world. Day and night before the Father.
And this is exactly what Syria needs from me. She doesn’t need any more over-eager leaders demanding to have their way. She needs ones with the heart of Jesus who are willing to sacrifice themselves to see her lifted up. And if, out of this place of service with Jesus, I am released to be His hands and feet as well, I will have been equipped and richly blessed with the Father’s heart for this suffering nation and its people.
Oh sweet Jesus, forgive me for belittling You and Your ministry. Your humility astounds me. It challenges me to live beyond myself. It challenges me to live for You, to be with You where You are. You know the needs of the nations and the peoples who dwell within them. Holy Spirit, share the Father’s will with me that I might join You in bringing the Kingdom of Light to dark places. Teach me to be faithful with this critically important privilege. Forgive me for wanting to make it all about me. Forgive me for wanting to play savior to a world that only needs You. It’s all about You Jesus. May Your great name be magnified among the nations and among the people of Syria.
