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This morning in Sunday School, our teacher told us we were going to learn about India in a different way than we usually do. She told us to imagine we lived far away from our families because God had told us that there were people He was calling us to go tell about Jesus. So we went like He said. But when we got there, things didn’t work out the way we thought they would. The people didn’t want to hear about Jesus. Some listened quietly, but they didn’t believe. Other people got mad. One person tried to hit us! How would we feel?
I thought about that. I’d feel sad. Maybe angry. And I would feel confused. Why would God tell us to go somewhere when He knew the people wouldn’t listen?
Then our teacher told us to imagine that we lived like this for months and even years. All that work. All that sadness. All that prayer. But none of it seemed to matter. We would feel weary–tired and ready to give up.
There are missionaries and Christians all over India who want nothing more than to see people believe in Jesus. They pray and they work hard. Some of them are far away from their families. Some of them are treated badly by the people they want to help. And they get tired. But Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (KJV). God knows a lot more than we do. He knows why things happen the way they do, even when we don’t understand. And He knows everything that will happen as a result of us doing what He tells us to do, even when it doesn’t work out the way we thought it would or takes a long time.
When Jesus came to show people what God is like and to tell them how much He loved them, some people didn’t believe. He worked very hard; He got tired. He even suffered and died for them! But He didn’t give up. And because He didn’t give up, but kept working and doing what God had sent Him to do, some people did believe in Him. And people today are still learning and believing in Him.
I’m going to pray for the weary workers in India today. Will you pray with me?
“Dear God, thank You for the Christians in India who are working hard to tell others about You. Please help them not to be weary or give up. Help them remember that You are so much bigger and smarter than we can imagine. Help us believe that when You tell us to do something, You have a good reason, even when things don’t make sense to us at the time. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
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