God of this City: by Ali Bar
You are the God of this city. You're the God of these people. – Chris Tomlin
During our free time this morning, we went to the market and experienced a taste of Thai shopping. In the middle of crowded streets full of tourists, tuk tuks, pickpockets, fisherman pants, and jewelry, we were given the opportunituy to minister to a woman named Bea.
Bea works in a shop bartering with tourists to earn money for her family. She told us about her family and how they were displaced by the flood. She is currently staying in a small apartment about the market with her husband, three children, sister, mother, and her father. She was eager to show us pictures of her home with water that is currently chest-deep. In the midst of the chaos, Bea's smile never left her face. Bea shared with us that after the flood started, the people of Thailand started to slow down and asked one another how they are doing and if their families have been affected by the flood – instead of just passing by on the streets.
It never ceases to amazing me how God can use hardship and tragedy to bring people together. "And we know that in all things God works together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28. All things… Not just good things or all happy things. God uses all things to accomplish His will.
As I reflect on this, I am challenged to slow down and see others as God created them to be. We are all made in His image, and He died for each one of us, whether we are Christain or Buddhist, Thai, or American, homeless or wealthy, whether we are begging in the streets, working in an office, or dancing on a bar, He loves us. My prayer is to have that same love for each person, not only in times of tragedy, but in my daily life.
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2
