Where are God's people?

These thoughts piggy back on the thoughts of my last post. So, if you haven't read it please read it first.

Thoughts of hungry people all over the world seem to be haunting me. Every time I eat I cannot stop thinking of how rich I am and how rich my children are because we have an abudance of food to eat. We are planning to go out to supper tomorrow night to celebrate Adalynne's 9th birthday. We live an extravagant life!

Sunday morning I was teaching the kids in our children's church. I had been meditating on the words Jesus said as he overturned the tables in the temple, "my house will be called a house of prayer for the nations." I was looking for some ways to pray for nations with our kids. I chose to incorporate prayer into our snack time. I asked the children how many of them had eaten breakfast that morning and all of the children had. (On Wednesday nights we do have children who are not fed supper at home, here in America.) I pointed out that we were about to eat a few cookies for snack. I asked the children if they knew how rich they were b/c they had already had one meal and now were having a mid-morning snack. They seemed to connect with that thought. I led the children in a discussion about hunger in Egypt. And, then we prayed. The children prayed beautiful prayers full of faith. Joseph prayed that manna would fall from the sky in Egypt. That shocked me, I hadn't thought to pray that way! I was challenged by a child's faith.

Later, I had a talk with Joe. I told him that he was absolutely right to pray a prayer so full of faith for hungry people and that he challenged me. And, I told Him God could and might answer that prayer. But, I also wanted to plant a seed in Joe. God can do miracles! And, God wants his people to live a life that is impossible for them to live in their own strength so that His Father can be glorified. God wants his people to meet the needs of others and not merely live for themselves. Jesus said, "let your light shine before men that they might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven." He also said they will know us (his followers) by our love. We can give more than we give.

If we run after comfort and entertainment and food and fun what makes us any different from anyone else? Everyone does that. If we spend all of our money on our dreams, our desires, and our own families what makes us any different from anyone else? Eveyone does that.

A few months ago I listened to a presentation online that Sara Groves gave to a women's group in Minnesota. In her talk she referred to a person who is giving up his life to help others in need through International Justice Ministry. She said that this man used to struggle when he looked at pain suffering in the world and would ask, "where in the world is God?" But after some time he realized that he had been asking the wrong question. Now he asks, "where in the world are God's people?"