This month, our meditation has been excerpted from the book entitled Bound To Be Free, compiled by Open Doors. In the following passage, the account of Christians in Laos provides us with fodder for reflection and perhaps application:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? (Matthew 6:25-26)
Is God only interested in big problems or is He also interested in our little day-to-day worries?
That was the subject of a Bible study in a small village inhabited by refugees from east Laos. All of them had had to flee the danger of war, the war between the United States and North Vietnam. Now they were living in the free part of Laos, robbed of house and home, in shabby little bamboo huts.
They had big problems, which was the reason why we had this Bible study about worries and confidence. But there were also small problems and these they often expressed in their prayers, which were sincere and uncomplicated.
A widow who had been able to take refuge with her only son was listening attentively. She had so many problems concerning many different matters. There were no social services, there was no work and every day they had to search the woods for food in order to stay alive. 'Give us this day our daily bread' was an everyday prayer for her. 'Will you please pray for my pig, for it is ill.' There was no negative reaction whatsoever to this strange request. It was her only possession. So there was fervent and faithful prayer for the poor woman's pig. Why would God make an axe float on water (2 Kings 6) and not cure a pig?
God is so great yet He is also interested in small matters.
'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything...present your requests to God' (Philippians 4:6).
A moment of consideration: In our lives we occasionally have heard the phrase advising that we shouldn't be overly concerned with the details of a matter; the phrase is, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Sometimes, admittedly, problems may arise in the details of a situation; so we should be aware of the details in our lives. They may be important, but we needn't be "sweating" or anxious about them.
The account, above, asks the question, "Is God only interested in big problems or is He also interested in our little day-to-day worries?" God's Word instructs us not to worry about small or big things in our lives (Philippians 4:6-7); instead, we are exhorted, we should pray and submit our cares to Christ Jesus, for He cares for us:
Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
When such problems beset us, and we're desperate, needy, and at our end (or it seems that way), an old prayer proverb says, "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a prayer knot and hang on." The Widow in the above account had come to that point. She only had one possession--her pig--and it was ill. God's Word described her lot: "She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day..." (1 Timothy 5:5) She had a lot of problems--no social services, no work for her son or her, and no food except what she scavenged from the woods. In her desperation, she had tied the prayer knot and was hanging on. And God had blessed her prayers. This blessing in her life was her Bible study group, through which God had provided in her need. When a widow is in need, the apostle Paul's prompting to Timothy regarding the church's care for them can be found in 1 Timothy 5:3-8.
When we are "in over our heads" and beleaguered by stresses, when our hearts are troubled with doubts and fears, when we feel discouraged and shadows come, we can pray to a caring Father. The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer. The apostle Paul implored the church in Philippi to pray when worried, and thereby to receive the cherished "peace that passes all understanding". Lord, prop me up on my every leanin’ side.
In our weakness, look to the Lord and consider Christ and His woes, so we may not become faint-hearted and weary (Hebrews 12:3) Let us freely take our small problems, our "pigs", to the Lord and seek His face--knowing that we are valued and esteemed in His sight because of Christ. (Luke 12:6-7) God is so great, yet He is also interested in small matters. He is able to bring us through; there is nothing that is too hard for Him to accomplish. (Jeremiah 32:27)
The apostle Peter urged the church, saying: "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers." (1 Peter 4:7) We are blessed to be alert for the coming of the Christ again, and in our praying should be eager to bring our petitions before the Lord in a self-controlled, sober-minded fashion. Whether for small or large problems, pray to the Lord, glorifying Him in our requests and praising Him because He is a God Who loves to answer prayer and Who begins to answer even before we pray! (Isaiah 65:24)