The proverbial idiom: “out of sight, out of mind” is in many respects quite true.
How many times have you or I exchanged emails with a friend in another country saying how good it would be to catch up online at some point in the future. Only to discover six to eight months later that you or I had never got around to (or maybe better put: we just plain forgot) calling that friend.
In French, this same phrase is translated: “far from one’s eyes, far from one’s heart.” In other words, when a person is separated for a time from someone for whom he or she cares, emotions and feelings tend to diminish, or the relational tie can disappear or fade out.
Such is the case with many unreached peoples in the world. We as believers often have great intentions to pray for and engage with those who have limited access to the message of Christ. We may even demonstrate a zeal and interest for a certain time to pray for and make others aware of the needs of the Dadjo, the Hui, or numerous other unreached peoples who have little Christian witness in proximity to them. However, as time goes by, our fervor, our commitment begins to wane.
It’s not that we have no heart for others in the world. It’s that we are physically separated from such people in real time. Gradually, we lose relational and prayer contact with them. Remembering and engaging with the unreached begins with a conscious awareness of God’s grace in our lives. That deepening understanding of his mercy towards us will stir our hearts to do whatever we can, out of love for Christ, to see those held captive to pride and unbelief turn to him.
The example of Nehemiah provides us with two ways to re-engage our hearts with the lost. One is through the act of asking powerful and probing questions for greater understanding. And a second is discerning God’s call to us as to how we might specifically engage with the unreached of the world.
Nehemiah had no news for some time of those “who had survived the exile” nor of the current status of the city of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:2). He was separated from them by physical distance. However, benefiting from the visit of one of his brothers, he informed himself of what was going on. He didn’t wait to have news; he went looking for it. His question must have been powerful enough to elicit a somewhat detailed response (1:3). Once he heard the response, his heart was moved: “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (1:4).
A powerful question can cause our hearts to be moved on behalf of those apart from Christ. Just the answer to the question: “Who is seeking to reach the M people in China?” should move us, at the very least, to pray for this people group.
Nehemiah informed himself of the need. But he also remained open to how God might call him to be involved. Yes, he went to serve the people in his “passport country,” but there were several other ways in which he got involved. He was generous with his resources (chapter 5). He became the project leader for reconstruction (chapter 3). And he got involved in spiritual work and ministry among the exiles (chapter 8).
Listening in to the topics and concerns of our prayers these days, the needs of unreached peoples to hear the message of Christ are not a central focus and drive. God is calling us to “rekindle the flame” again and engage in pleading with our God to open doors for the unreached of China to hear God’s Word, as did Nehemiah in his day. It is so easy to let many other concerns right in front of us turn our focus away from God’s missional project for his world (Philippians 2:10-11).
I would challenge each of us to find out what is going on in the world; to ask questions to inform ourselves of what is happening in the world. And then pray God would show us how he desires for each one of us to be involved—just as he did with Nehemiah.
Image credit: Daiga Ellaby via UnSplash+.
David Riddell
David Riddell serves as international director of World Team. He and his wife have served as church planters in Europe for the past 35 years. He is a graduate of the College of Wooster and holds MAR and MDiv degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary (USA). View Full Bio
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