WOW! How time flies! So, what does one write about when it comes to CELEBRATING/marking one year of being here?
I stumbled across a prayer I’d written in
September 2013 a couple of days into placement in Cyahinda and I thought I’d
share it as this summed up my thoughts at the time – a person so full of hope
and faith – it’s good to be reminded of that person as at times I forget she exists. The prayer is written in
response to a passage that a friend gave to me before I left London. (Thanks Chris Pearce!)
Psalm
121
I
lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
Lord,
I am in the land of a thousand hills, this is where you have sent me and I know
that all I have is you and is yours. The friends that you have given to
me over the past 10 days have been more of a blessing to me than I know.
May you bless each and every one of their hearts, guide them and protect
them as we share this journey together.
(*I
am thankful for my VSO family on a daily basis – without them life would be
difficult indeed – and somewhat boring! Thank you to those who remain and also to those who have left...)
My
help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Father,
where I have been foolish, you have protected me and kept me from harm. For
this I thank you. It is not the monetary value of items that I could have
lost that I am concerned with but what they hold that I treasure. I give
you thanks for blessing me with these things.
(*This
was after I was robbed at home but all my ‘valuables’ remained - eg. laptop, camera, passport…today, I have lost count of the things that have been stolen from me - all items are not necessities but simply cause inconvenience when not available. Sadly, it has meant that my ability to TRUST people has rapidly diminished.)
He
will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will
neither slumber nor sleep.
I lift to you my night guard, may he
know of your grace and mercy. Fill him with your spirit that he may love
as you do. Protect him through the nights.
(*I
have watched my night guard reprimand a child for trying to enter in to my
garden but then gave him a biscuit because he was scavenging for food.)
I
thank you again for your protection. Even when I sleep, you are there.
The
Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun
shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
Father
I commit to you my family, that they may know you. Most of the time, they
ARE my right-hand – and for this, I am sorry that it is not you but I thank
you for providing me with their unfailing love and support. Fill them with your love, strengthen
them in spirit and assure them of your sovereignty. May your shade protect them from the heat of the day and
cover them during the chill of the night.
(*My family have been the people that I have missed the most
- coming here, trusting that God had a plan for me, that he would protect me
also meant that he would do the same for those I love! I think this was
the hardest thing for me to do. I know that even when I am with them, I
can do nothing to keep them safe - but seeing them when I could, hearing their
voices, their laughter, their tears, I felt like I was being of help just being
there.)
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Be
high and lifted up. I am in a land of hurt and suffering but one of hope
and renewal. The past has shaped many people here and Lord you have
sustained many of your children despite the crimes of the past. Continue to bring
healing and cast out evil from this place. May I love as you do and may I serve as you do.
In JESUS' most precious name, I ask all of
this…BE HIGH AND LIFTED UP! AMEN
So, a very personal prayer - not just my musings but an insight into my heart...and one year on, many sentiments are still echoed in my thoughts and prayers.
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