Nepal Mission, 2018--"Open the Servant's Eyes that He May See"

"Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, 'Alas, my master! What shall we do?' So he answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' Then Elisha prayed and said, 'O Lord, I pray, open the servant's eyes that he may see.' And the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha" (2 Kings 6:15-17).

This week, the Himalayas have been veiled in hazy clouds every day. But they are there nevertheless, all around us. I just can't see them. More specifically, I just can't snag a picture of them--which is honestly what I really want. Yet, with a puff of wind (or even without!), the Lord could push back the curtain and show us that there is more going on here than meets the eye. 

With the eyes alone, anyone can see the rickshaws and the venerated cows, the women washing laundry in the river and the boys playing stickball (cricket) in the empty sandlot. But all around this very common scene, in this very common city, is a very uncommon spiritual reality where God is actively present, where angels actively wage war, and where demons actively seek to undermine the faith of humans who bungle through life as if it were all just about rickshaws and cows and laundry and stickball. 

Of course, reality is not less than those visible things--which is exactly what Hinduism teaches, that reality as we experience it is just an illusion (maya) of the universal principle (brahman)--but life is certainly more than just the visible things. We are not trapped in an illusion, but we are largely unaware how our story fits into the larger story of God's redemption.

This week we asked for God to open the eyes of the students at the Itahari Bible Institute to the wonderful things in His Word, and that they would--once they see for themselves--help to open other students' eyes to the truth of Scripture through the power of God. I genuinely think we saw the beginning of that process!!

The students learned that the Great Commission is for them, too, and their churches; that they have been given the same mandate by Jesus that the apostles received: to make disciples as they are going, baptizing, and teaching. They learned that they themselves can be the sending agents of their own missionaries. They learned that they have been given everything they need in Christ Jesus for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

While this is an exciting prospect, it is also fearful since the country in which they minister does not love Christ or Christians or the Christian message. As Christians, they are third-class citizens who are blamed for many of the societal struggles. (Just remember Nero burning down Rome and pinning it on the Christians. This is not a new plot-twist.)

But the same God that opened the eyes of Elisha's servant, can open the eyes of the church, the Nepalese people, and even the government--that "those who are with us are more than those who are with them."