I needed a breath of fresh air. So I walked out of the canopied section and headed out to what I call the smoker's den. That's where all who can't or won't give up their nicotine fix gather, so they don't blow their poison into other people's faces. I spy a street-fren in 1 corner. So I grab the empty seat next to him, and ask how he's been. His answer is original and most illustrative. Without batting an eyelid, he describes the current state of his life, "It's like this... I am 3 days with Jesus, and 4 days I am in the sh..t-hole, so how, Aunty?" Ouch, how indeed. I have learnt not to flinch at the swearing; this is how they talk on the streets; besides this is really mild - he is showing me a lot of respect already. So I make sympathetic noises. Must be tough, I say for lack of something to say. His fren beside him pipes up, "It's not we don't want but we just can't get out, aunty"... Same spin of almost every drug addict who goes into rehab, comes out, and falls straight back into the pit; they claw their way out somehow, and then slip again, and again and again, until they stop trying and simply accept it's impossible and useless to attempt anymore. They give up on themselves, and needless to add, they give up on God.
I look at my fallen brother. And I tell him a story; I've discovered that's what I do best; after all that's how Jesus did it in His days too. This ex-junkie doesn't have to be reminded Jesus loves him and died for his sins. He knows all that and more from the Bible he was fed on during his rehab. It's not the desire he lacks to change over a new leaf. I don't think anyone deliberately wants to continue living a lousy life. His problem was the seeming inability to get up and more importantly to stay up.
I could quote him Bible verses about how God promises to never leave nor forsake us, how we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus, how He has plans to prosper and never harm us. I could encourage him to hold strong, stand firm, surrender everything to God and trust in Him. Or I could lecture him about resisting his flesh and not succumbing to temptation because it's from the devil. I could even do some pow-wow prayer over him, binding the power of addiction and setting him free in the authority and name of Jesus Christ. I could, but first I tell him the story of the storm in Mark 4:38-40....
When Jesus was all tired out and snoring fast asleep in a boat in danger of capsizing and all the disciples were panicking, fearing and facing a watery death. So they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Before I could add anything more, my dejected fren nods his head, "I know the story, I know I have no faith". Like I said, this guy's smart. But against my natural inclination to start a sermon on faith, I heard my own voice telling him very quietly, "That's a lie. You just said you have Jesus for 3 days out of 7. That's enough faith for Jesus, even if it doesn't seem enough to you. For Jesus said ' If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain - move from here to there, and it will obey you. Nothing will be impossible for you.' If you can have Jesus for 3 days, you can surely have Him for 7/7days. "
Both of us were quiet for a moment. I dunno what was going on in the young man's mind; all I knew was we were on holy ground, for I am very sure the words - especially the last line - didn't come from me. And my spirit knew there was a Third Party in our midst. Logical human reasoning puts spiritual experiences down to emotionalism, mind-suggestion, or sensationalism. There was nothing of that sort whatsoever in the brief fleeting moment of time shared between the 2 of us seated in the bright light and sweaty heat of a Sat afternoon, opposite a smelly dirty garbage dump, surrounded by people talking, eating and smoking away. If God is the soo pure, holy aloof and untouchable Being somewhere 'up there' that most religions claim He is, I doubt anyone would believe me if I say God visited me and my street-fren that day in an unpaved back-lane alley, filled with potholes and puddles of dirty water leaking from a burst pipe.
But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. After all, Jesus was apparently found more in the company of prostitutes, wine-drinkers, fishermen, widows, lepers and social misfits than in the grand homes of kings and VIPs of His day. Indeed the 'oh-so-pious' hot-shot religious leaders then accused Him of "eating and drinking", of being "a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors (that's equivalent to being a traitor) and sinners" (Luke 7:34) . Hmmm, to think how many millions we spend to erect architectural wonders with the most award-winning designs, decorated with the most beautiful tiles, painted glass, plush carpets, and equipped with the most hi-tech sound systems and fanciest giant-screen displays. We spare no effort to have the most perfectly-synchronized choirs in performance, the most correct doctrine and theological treatises served up, the most 'relevant' programmes to bring in the most number to attend. We hope this will 'attract' God to come down and grace us with His holy presence in a fine pristine building of walls made by man. Yet it was King Solomon, the builder of the grandest magnificent Holy Temple dedicated to God, who looked at his handiwork, completed after 7 years construction, and declared, "But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!" (2 Chron 6:18)
I am so glad God can't be 'contained' - in a church, in my house, in the boxes of our (seriously pathetically-limited) human minds. If not, there will be no hope for those sleeping on 5-foot ways, under the bridges and the night stars. No hope for those who want so much a change, to change and yet keep tripping over hurdles in the way. No hope for those who have no faith or little faith and lots of questions about God. I am so glad God shows up...anywhere, everywhere, anytime every time, to anyone, everyone.. humble enough to call Him.
Jesus could have slept on in dreamland in the boat; He isn't bothered by wind, waves and rain. (Heck, He created them). He awoke because the disciples took the first step to call Him. And they did that because they recognized they needed a Savior. Do we? Perhaps we have all missed the point. We presume it's all about faith, but actually before there can even be faith, there must be humility - a willingness to come before God and acknowledge our questions, doubts, fears, whatever. I looked at my fren and told him, "You know the moment they called Jesus, immediately He responded. Did you call Jesus for only 3 days? Maybe He's waiting for you to call Him everyday."
The fact of the matter is it's not about Jesus sleeping through, not knowing or not caring about our problems, weaknesses, failures etc...it's about us humbling ourselves and wanting His help. We could never stop any storm, or plug the holes in a sinking ship. But if we have Jesus in there with us, we can rest assured He can take care of 'it', whatever the 'it' is. He may not remove the 'it', but at least He won't let us drown. He promised in His Word, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2) Here is the Creator of the entire universe, the One who hung every star in place, who paints the sunrise and sunset differently every day, the One who stoops to coax flowers to bloom, and crafts all animals big and small in such amazing beautiful detail...if this One Almighty God loves me enough to stay in my boat, heck, I should be so confident I can actually join Him in a slumber-party. That's the beauty of belief giving birth to a freedom that's not dependent on me, but on the Lover and Beloved of my soul, a most magnificent awesome God.
I guess my brother lost heart somewhere along the line because he let his eyes roam away, looking too much at himself, the world, or the drugs instead of at Jesus alone. So he struggles by himself on behalf of himself, one hand trying to bail out water flooding his boat, the other sheltering his head from pouring rain; his eyes seeing only the high waves and lightning flashes. No wonder he can't stay up, because his eyes aren't looking up. For 4 days out of 7, he didn't 'plug' into the only power source that can sustain him. How often we too wander around in darkness because we fail to switch on the light... But I didn't have to tell him all that or do all the other 'could do' things on my list.
The brief moment of our encounter with God passed. He looked at me, nodded his head, smiled a little and walked off into another day. I saw a glint in his eyes; I think he got the point - that Jesus isn't an on/off love affair; He's not a 1-nite stand, He's for keeps, if we will 'keep' Him.
" For thus says the High and Lofty One, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" -Isaiah 57:15
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