Hanoi Moments (1) - Ask of Me

6 March 2010

I was strolling along the streets today in Hanoi when I saw this little stall manned by a young man. It wasn’t even in a shop in itself, but was a simple “string shelf” that lined the wall, just enough to hold several cards and bookmarks against the back. I stopped to look because I realized that they were the same cards I’d bought at a charity bazaar last year and I had really liked what I saw then. These cards are hand-made by the hearing impaired in Hanoi and were made of simple cloth and creative paper carvings with Vietnamese emblems.

This time however, I noticed that they had a new product with verses from 1 Cor 13:4-5 on love so I decided to buy about 20 of them just to give away. The young lad was visibly happy (perhaps it was one of the bigger sale that day) and as he handed over the bookmarks I was getting, he excitedly pointed to a different verse that was on another bookmark design. The verse is from Psalm 2:8:

“ Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession”

The young lad pointed to the verse and then pointed to himself, patting firmly at his heart. When he realised that I didn’t understand him, he started to write down something in Vietnamese which I unfortunately still did not understand. However, he continued to point at the verse and then pointing back at himself back and forth this way, smiling as he did so.

Something happened inside of me that moment as I stood by the walkway watching him. I don’t really know what it was exactly that he was trying to communicate to me, but as I watched him gesture the way he did, it was as if this young man was telling me that he was one of the inheritance that God was speaking of – or perhaps it was God reminding me through him. It was Psalm 2:8 come alive, manifested in the form of a hearing impaired young Vietnamese man, a reminder of how God is constantly at work in the nations. There is no tribe, tongue or impairment that can hinder the work of God in the lives of the people He so desires to reach, but there must be willing workers that would seek His face and ask of Him for the inheritance He wants to give us.

I nodded and smiled in agreement at the young man though I did not know for sure what he was communicating to me, but all i knew was that I was blessed that someone out there, recognized him as one of God's inheritance had bothered to pray and reach out to him.

I forget sometimes, forget to pray for the people I meet overseas, because I meet so many in my work or sometimes just walking along the streets. Sometimes when you are in a foreign land, it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by how you are a minority and the crowd just become masses and not people that are part of the inheritance that God wants us to ask him for. Yet, minority or not, we are still His children wherever we go, so let’s not give up in praying and asking Him for the nations as our inheritance.

 

Dear God, forgive me where I have taken your promises lightly and where I have been self-absorbed. Open my eyes to the things of You, to be sensitive to what You’re doing and not just focus on myself and my needs wherever I am – at work or at play, in Singapore or out. Thank you for bringing the nations into my life. Help me to play a part to see all tribes, tongues, people groups worship You in heaven together one day. In Jesus’ name, I ask, Amen.