"Where Is Your Faith?"

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)

When Rose told me about the city-wide prayer rally on Sunday, my first question was, "What will happen if it rains?" She looked at me reproachfully and said, "It won't. Where is your faith?"

I guess you could say that I went to find that faith, when Dad and I joined 30,000 other believers in Hong Kong for the Worldwide Day of Prayer rally at the Hong Kong Stadium.

It was hot and sticky, but there was not only no sign of rain, thick clouds also shielded us from the sun's unmerciful rays. When a refreshing breeze swept through the stadium, the crowd broke out in grateful applause. I couldn't help but remember the first Pentecost and thought, "The Spirit is here."

For the next two hours, the Lord swept me up into His presence as we worshipped, confessed our sins, and prayed for the world.

And then He gripped my heart as the camera zeroed in on China's flag. "This flag represents 1.3 billion people," said the MC. "Turn with me to the North Side of the stadium, lift up your hands, and let us bless our country."

How does one pray for 1.3 billion people? My mind flew from the country villages to the cities, the elderly to the youth, the house church to the Three Self Church, the ordinary citizen to the government officials, the educators to the entertainers... This flag not only represents who I am, but also what I am not. Tears streamed down my face as I turned toward the North and uplifted that great country before the throne of Heaven.

If the Lord honors the prayers of two or three, what do you think He does with the prayers of 30,000?

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"And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." (Jeremiah 29:7).

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Soul Lemonade, No. 18
Hong Kong, China

Stars of the Earth

"The heaves declare the glory of God..." (Psalm 19:1)

"What time is it?"
"9:00."
"Are you serious? It feels like 11:00!"

Friday night, I found myself joining some friends and teachers for a picnic at Li Yu Lake in Hualien. It was firefly season, and the government had blocked off a section of the road, so tourists could behold fireflies in all their glory.

I laughed. We who grew up with fireflies in our backyard would never hold a month-long "Firefly Festival." As my friends and I rode through town, our driver Daniel pointed out banners which heralded firefly season. He told us that fireflies have a very short life span. They come out specifically to find a mate, reproduce, and die—all within the space of seven to ten days.

That made me think. I couldn't help but wonder why God bothered to create fireflies. They were of no apparent benefit to mankind, except perhaps to the businesses who profited off the festival.

After another round of hot pot and tea, the teachers finally started packing up their picnic gear. That was when I overheard the auntie say, "We'll take you to Red Roof Village to have a look around."

What? It was already 10:30 and another hour's drive back. We were going to make another stop?

We followed the caravan up a narrow tree-lined road that wound up the mountain. I was looking for red roofs, when the cars in front of us stopped suddenly. Why were we stopping in the middle of nowhere? Someone climbed out and motioned for us to turn off our headlights.

I climbed out like everyone else, and the fun began. I watched in amusement as pinpoints of light appeared along the side of the road. Fireflies! So this is why we came. The teachers shouted gleefully as they collected fireflies in water bottles and bags in hopes of cultivating their own firefly colony back home. Our friend Shu-Ling gathered her niece and nephew and said, "Look! Stars of the earth!"

Stars of the earth. I looked up through the canopy of trees to the velvet sky above, where the stars declared the glory of God. Fireflies danced around us.

All of a sudden, I knew the answer to my question. Why did God create fireflies? Aside from scientific reasons, He made them simply for His glory and our pleasure. Shame crept into my heart as I began to realize how the non-Christian teachers enjoyed His creation more than I.

It was late when we arrived back in Xincheng, but that was OK. I had learned more about my Creator through the stars of the earth.

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Soul Lemonade, No. 17
Taipei, Taiwan

Into His Arms

"Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:9)

A good friend recently decided to cut off all communication with me.

Shock settled into hurt. Hurt turned into anger. Anger seethed into bitterness. And bitterness, like poison, gnawed away at my soul. In the days that followed, rejection followed me like a hangover—it was the first thing that hit me in the morning and the last thing that haunted me as I drifted off to sleep.

It's been a long time since I've felt the bitter sting of betrayal.

I awoke Friday morning with a heavy heart. This was not exactly how I wanted to end the year. Gloomy thoughts hung over me like a cloud as I jogged to the track and ran my laps. Round and round I went, rehearsing all the scathing retorts my mind could conceive. I was part-way through the third lap, when a thought interrupted Retort #276: "You're spending more time figuring out how to tell off your friend than you are in venting directly to God. You're focusing more on yourself and how you've been hurt than on the Lord and His purposes for letting this happen."

With that revelation, the Lord began to do what I could not do for myself. That night, He broke me as the church began to sing "Be Still, My Soul."

Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order or provide
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul, thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

The Refiner's fire burned steadily, patiently, but with increasing intensity. Figuratively speaking, I felt like I had been grabbing my friend by the scruff of the neck, but with each line and verse of that song, my fingers loosened their hold. As I surrendered to Jesus, He reached down from Heaven and began to unravel the emotional knots in my heart, freeing me from bitterness, erasing my anger, soothing my pain, and most importantly, drawing me to Himself. The more I surrendered, the closer He drew me.

By saying yes to Him and no to myself, I found myself entering the new year... in His arms.

Can't beat that. ;-)

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"And God will wipe away every tear..." (Revelation 21:4)

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Soul Lemonade, No. 16
Taipei, Taiwan