These last weeks are a reality check for me. What I had hoped to accomplish, well, didn’t happen. I didn’t even come close. I tried to push through the fatigue of a busy schedule. I tried to push past some emotional problems…it was too much. Or should I say, I was too weak? Yeah, that’s probably more like it. Because really, I gave in.
I was able to talk to a friend who helped clear away the hovering clouds, just in time for another week to have passed. But, no matter, I’m here now, and I’m ready to get back into this!
Before I do, I want to share what I thought as I reflected on what I went through. Even though I had stopped being productive, I was still thinking. Thinking of how my life and the life of Bible translators are similar. No, this isn’t me trying to make a clever tie in. I truly was thinking of the men and women who face opposition all the time to get them to quit their work. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s not unique to any certain group or circumstance. It affects us ALL. We all struggle to keep on keeping on. There will always be a temptation for us to give up or to look away, to slow down or stop altogether. However, what I went through was NOTHING compared to what a Bible translator must go through!
This realization made me stop. I stopped feeling bad about my mistake and I started to pray for those on the front lines. They are the warriors who need lifting up, support and an advocate who will spur them on in their calling for the kingdom. They are the heroes of the faith, trying to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
As I kept praying & thinking about this, this came to mind: God created us to worship Him and to love others. One way we extend God’s love to others is by sharing the treasure of the knowledge of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ and the way we share most often is through His Word. Right?
So, if we walk through that backwards we will find the way Satan tries to derail us. If he can get us to stop dead in our tracks, he’s won, because HIS goal is to get us to worship him and/or ourselves. Keep with me now…
If Satan can get us to not share the Word, we will stop using it to tell others of salvation through Jesus Christ. People will then not know the love of God or be able to love others (because we can only love as He loves in and through us). If we can’t love others because His love is not in us we are not going to be able to worship Him and receive His love.
Put simply: No sharing, no salvation, no love, no worship.
We were created by God to worship. It’s in our genes. We simply MUST worship something. If we don’t worship the Lord, we worship ourselves and ultimately other idols which are ultimately varying forms of the evil one.
WE MUST NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!! Satan is a defeated foe, we must live like it!
We must fight, the good fight of faith, and in God’s kingdom we do that by laying down, in humility, so He can fight FOR us! When we submit ourselves to the power of Christ, the devil must flee! (James 4:7)
What does this have to do with Bible translation? EVERYTHING!
Everything we know about our faith comes from the God-breathed words found in the Bible. If we don’t know the words, we don’t know God. This holds true for the millions of people out there on this planet who have NEVER heard the words of truth and life that are found in the Bible. If there’s no Bible translation for those who don’t speak the languages the Bible has already been translated into, there’s no spreading those words of truth and life to those who are perishing in order for them to have everlasting life through Jesus Christ.
What can you do to help?
1. Pray: The first and most important thing we can do is pray for the translators and their families and the people working in the ministries that help support the translators in the field. Pray for the Lord’s protection, wisdom, strength & provision as they seek to glorify Him and advance His kingdom with their work. And don’t forget to ask the Lord who you can be involved!
2. Support: Amazing organizations such as OneVerse/The Seed Company are working tirelessly to ensure Bible translation is taking place among the most remote places and the most remote people groups on the planet. With your support, we can change the world for Christ, one verse at a time!
3. Awareness: Ask the Lord what He would like you to do in order to raise awareness to help end Bible poverty. Perhaps it’s tweeting (I’m using the hashtags #endBiblepoverty & #writetheWord), or maybe setting aside some blog posts that are dedicated to this cause. Be open to His leading and obey!
4. Take Action: Make a monetary donation, commit to praying for Bible translators and their families, pick a people group and their language to ‘adopt’ with some friends and make them a part of your family. Tell others what you’ve done and encourage them to partner for the need. Maybe the Lord is asking you to do something else, ask Him and see!
What am I doing?
Aside from committing to pray for the translators, families and ministry workers, I am handwriting the Bible, one chapter, every night. I’m writing about it and have invited others to join me. I have started in the book of Matthew and have made it to chapter 7. Read about the beginnings here and here.
Every bit counts! We can do this together, as a community, lifting up one another to the Father for strength, wisdom and perseverance.
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