One of the biggest problems in the postmodern world we live in is that everyone desires instant gratification. We want to see results right now. We want to see the fruits of our labor in a relatively short period. Christians are not immune from this societal trend. Perhaps we serve silently in the church and yet no one else seems to notice, as if our labors have no effects in this world. We may be serving in the church nursery, caring for infants. All we hear are baby cries and sometimes we wonder if all this matters or we are just a regular baby sitter. Worst of all, when obstacles and trials come our way, we find ourselves in the darkest valley. We may become discouraged, loosing our faith and worst of all, denying our God. We forget the promise of Psalm 23: “Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage.”
The Lord feeds his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms (Isaiah 40:11). Fear not, little flock, for the heavenly Father has promised you the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Only believe, only believe! All things are possible. However, we must wait for God’s time, not our time.
The following testimony was told by Pastor Jim Cymbala in the book, “Fresh Power.” In 1921, a Swedish missionary couple, David and Svea Flood, was called by God to bring the good news to the heart of Africa –then Belgian Congo. They met another missionary couple, the Ericksons, at the central mission station. The Lord led them to take the gospel to a remote village of idol worshipers, an area infested with malaria and other tropical diseases. They settled near the village of N’dolera, but the local chief would not allow them to enter, fearing that forest gods would be angered. The only contact these two couples had was a young boy, who was allowed to sell chickens and eggs to them twice a week. They concentrated their efforts in educating the young boy and succeeded in leading the young boy to Christ.
However, the hardship of the jungle and repeated infestation with malaria took a huge toll on them. The Ericksons had enough and returned to the central mission station, leaving the David and Svea to continue the mission. Svea became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl—only to die seventeen days later due to exhaustion and malaria. Faced with this enormous crisis, David became discouraged. He devoted his life to God and all he could see was one boy saved at the cost of suffering in the jungle, eventually losing his wife. He rejected his calling and later denied God. He gave the baby girl to the Ericksons and returned to Sweden. Eight months later, the Ericksons mysteriously died, and the baby girl was adopted by American missionaries who later returned to South Dakota.
The little girl grew up in the ministry and married a young man named Dewey Hurst who later became the president of a local Christian college. She was always curious about her Swedish birth parents and did not have any information about what happened to them. One day a Swedish magazine appeared in her mailbox. As she turned the pages, she suddenly saw a picture of a grave with a white cross written with the words “Svea Flood.” She recognized her mother’s name and immediately went to the Christian college to ask a friend to translate the Swedish text. The magazine article talked about the first missionaries in N’dolera long ago. After the white missionaries had all left, the young boy grew up and built a school in the village using the education he received from the missionaries. He won all his students to Christ. Then children led their parents to Christ—even the chief had become a Christian. Today there were 600 Christians in that village, all because of the sacrifice made by the Flood family.
Later the Hursts went to Sweden to visit their father, David Flood. They told him how the one boy he and his wife led to Christ had brought salvation to the entire village. David repented and returned to Christ like a lost sheep. Few years later, while attending a conference in London, the Hursts met the superintendent of the national church of Zaire (the former Belgian Congo) who spoke about the 110,000 baptized believers in the church. They found out that the superintendent was the little boy who brought food to David and Svea Flood. He was the seed that was sown with tears by the Flood family.
Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves (Psalm 126: 5-6). Jesus said that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit (John12:24). O Lord, forgive our shortsightedness! Forgive our weakness in times of trials! Have mercy on us for we have denied you many times more than Peter! Yet your precious blood shed on the cross has washed our sins away. Your grace is far greater than the sins that we ever confess in ourselves. All we need to do is trust and obey!
God has a marvelous plan for each of us. In his eyes, all plans are precious. We are all parts of the One Body of Christ, each serving a critical function. Cleaning and mopping the floor of the church is just as precious as preaching from the pulpit. Seeds are sown many ways in different soils and weathers according to God’s will. God has promised that we will one day reap with cries of joy. We have heard the testimony that a small seed of the Gospel planted in a small boy has led to the salvation of an entire village of sinners. We must turn our heart to trust God completely and obeys his commands for his glory shall be revealed to his humble servants one day.
