James 4:6 (NIV)
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor
to the humble.”
Xiao Min is a Chinese peasant farmer’s daughter who has
written 900 hymns for the Underground churches in China. She is a modern
equivalent of Joan of Arc and the Christians in China have experienced a new
hope through her worship songs that they call “The Hymns of Canaan.”
Her hymns and influence is so widespread that the
anti-religious authorities in China are reacting violently to house churches in
local towns and villages. The mighty dragon is being tamed and brought down by
a tiny mosquito. Twenty million people have been converted to Christ through
the singing of Xiao Min’s songs. She is stirring a new hope for freedom and
faith throughout China. She is a supreme example of what happens when God
opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
In our cozy Western churches, we have forgotten about the
energy, dynamism, and strength that persecution can bring to the faithful. We
forget too easily that Christianity is radical by nature and should confront
evil in every generation, culture or civilization. For too long, we have been
standing still, hoping to keep the peace and remain undisturbed. We have been
asleep at the wheel as far as the direction that our society has been
traveling. We have become ineffective and irrelevant in our own eyes because we
have listened to what the world has to say about our faith, instead of showing
what our faith can really do to change the world.
We should all learn to sing the songs of Canaan that are
part of our own hymns. We should remember, recall and revisit the promises of
God which lead us to a land of milk and honey, to a land of freedom and faith.
If a peasant farmer’s daughter in an obscure part of China can reach 20 million
souls through the grace of God, then who or what can stand against us when we
open our hearts, minds, and souls to do the same here?
Dear Lord, We have forgotten the joy of our salvation,
the gladness of grace, and the blessings of the Gospel. We pray that our faith and
our spirits would be revived so that we can begin once more to move our country
back to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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