Geography wasn’t a subject I was particularly interested in at school. It wasn’t a very boring subject, it just wasn’t one of those that grabbed my interest.
Outside of school, though, I remember having a passing interest in maps, atlases and especially globes. I recall wandering around an atlas at the odd named places and variety of shapes of nation states. I was not the sort to want to travel, though. I had the same thought about that as I did about the great outdoors – I loved the outdoors … from inside. So although my sister got to go abroad a little bit, I never did when I was a child and my idea of travel was having to traipse up and down the country for church events by my parents.
As I sit here writing this now, I don’t have an overwhelming desire to go globetrotting. But my perspective on the world in which I live has changed. That is largely because of my appreciation for the gospel and the scope that the Messiah has in mind for its spread and infiltration. For the last 15 years at least, there has been a growing admiration for the men and women who give up comfortable living to engage in the lives of other people from different cultures and backgrounds to share the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord and demonstrate that with Kingdom life and love for the broken, lost and hurting.
What I have also grown to appreciate is how I don’t have to travel abroad to impact the world. Stoke-on-Trent may not be the most diverse city in the world, but there are still a fair few nationalities that have made the city their home. The chances to come into contact with this variety of people groups and look to respect the cultural expressions is in itself an opportunity to impact the nations.
Recently I had the honour of attending a prayer event that looked to pray for the nations. It was such a great chance to get immersed in prayer for the issues concerning countries across the world. It wasn’t just a case of a passive approach either, there was a real sense that we were looking for God’s heart and desire for the issues affecting these nations and there were a number of representatives from those countries who we got to pray for and pray with. That’s where the instruction of being witnesses really took on a greater meaning.
I don’t know how my life will pan out, tomorrow is not promised to me. However, already it is a blessing to know individuals who live in different countries and as we connect and support each other in prayer and building each other in the world, there is the opportunity to see God doing great things in the nations as He sends His ambassadors to the nations, for the nations.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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