Nepal - A Personal Reflection
“Music speaks to my soul. ”
Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal
This week’s blog is by Lori Kreider, participant on the 2018 Vision Trip to Nepal. She poignantly shares how music influenced her prayers while on the ground in Nepal.
Pilgrimage to Nepal: My Takeaway
“Before I spoke a word, you were singing over me (them)
You have been so, so good to me (them)
Before I took a breath, you breathed Your LIFE in me (them)
You have been so, so kind to me (them).
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me (them) down, fights ‘til I’m (they’re) found,
leaves the ninety nine
I (they) couldn’t earn it and I (they) don’t deserve it, still you give yourself away.
When I (they were) was your foe, still your love fought for me (them)
You have been so, so good to me (them)
When I (they) felt no worth, you paid it all for me (them)
You have been so, so kind to me (them).
There’s no shadow you won’t light up
Mountain you won’t climb up
Coming after me (them).
There’s no wall you won’t kick down
Lie you won’t tear down
Coming after me (them).”
– Reckless Love by Cory Asbury
Music speaks to my soul. It is a comforting companion, a means of expression when I cannot find the words myself. I find that God speaks to me through song and music. The above song became my prayer [during my time in Nepal]. I sang this song over the people selling goods on the streets of Kathmandu, over the children living in the slums, over the grandmothers hauling sand up the mountainside, over the men and women seeking salvation from their Hindu and Buddhist gods. I prayed that the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God would reach their hearts and they would come to know their loving Father.
It was the last verse of this song that really gave me an image of God fighting for the beautiful souls of Nepal. I sang my intercessory prayer up to God.
‘There’s no shadow you won’t light up ...“
As I sang, I prayed that God would light up the shadows created by the worshipping of false gods. That the heavy shadows of Hinduism and Buddhism would be cast away by the LIGHT of Christ, that God’s grace and unconditional love would shine through.
“There’s no mountain you won’t climb up ...”
I sang this prayer as I looked upon the awe-inspiring Himalayas, the mountains that encapsulate the MAJESTY of God. Strength and Beauty are His. The mountains are His. As are the Nepali people of the mountains. Nothing will stop our God from coming after them.
“There’s no wall you won’t kick down ...”
The walls I saw in Kathmandu and Pokhara were the ones surrounding the slums, the garbage cities and the Tibetan Refugee Settlements. These walls keep HOPE out. But, God can knock walls down. As I sang my prayer, I thanked God that nothing can stop HOPE from entering in.
“There’s no lie you won’t tear down ...”
The caste system: the biggest lie of them all. “There is neither Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28-29) As I sang, I prayed that every Nepali would come to know that they are a CHILD of God, valued, precious in His sight and dearly loved.
I sang my song over Nepal each day, but it wasn’t until mid-week that I suddenly realized that God was ALREADY doing all these things. And, he was using the Body of Christ to accomplish it ... Lewis, Pastor Rinzi, Pastor Daniel, Alvin and Rebekah, Pastor Shyem ... and ME. We were the hands and feet of Jesus. We lit up the shadows with the light of Christ as we visited the Hindu and Buddhist sites. We climbed up the mountains and brought the love of Jesus with us. We walked through the slums and garbage cities and brought hope inside those walls. We tore down the lies of the caste system as we showered love and respect on each Nepali we met.
This was my takeaway. Yes, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God fights for His children. But, he uses us as his instruments ... we are His hands and feet in this world. Whether we are in the mountains of Nepal or on the streets of Arlington, the opportunities abound to be the light and love of Christ. My prayer is that we will seize these opportunities.
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