The Voodoo Priest

     The plates had been cleared, water glasses removed, the last pieces of the pineapple had been claimed, and Leon, the agile seventy-something year old with a pacemaker and bottomless stomach, reached for the bread and jelly to have his ritual after-dinner treat. 

     We (our mission team) were all seated around the long table that brought us together throughout our week in the D.R. to partake in it's sumptuous selection of rice, chicken, empanadas, and fresh fruit. Dinner having been eaten, we remained seated to share our stories, thoughts, and reflections from the day. There were lots of different perspectives, certain things touched certain people in a unique way, and it was always a gift to hear what others had to say. 

     Dr. Thomas had a very interesting story to tell that evening. A man had come into the clinic to get a physical exam. He claimed he couldn't see while he was reading. 

     Dr. Thomas offered reading glasses--the man refused. "I can't see, it's no use." 

He tried again, but the man seemed adamant that he knew they wouldn't help. As this continued, the patient began telling more of his story...

     "I can't read...and especially not the Bible...when I read the Bible I start tearing it up. I'm possessed." 

     You don't come across that in everyday physical exams, now do you? 

     Turns out the man was voodoo priest and several years ago, Satan had entered him and made it so that he could never read...and certainly not the Bible. 

     Dr. Thomas and the translator told him that Jesus could save him and give him his eyesight back. 

     "I know...but I'm not ready, if I accept Jesus I lose my job and I need to support myself." Dr. Thomas tried to convince him that it's a dangerous way to live, that he shouldn't fear losing his job because Jesus would take care of him, but the man wouldn't budge. 

     "I"m not ready yet." 

     So Dr. Thomas and the translator prayed with him, but he (the patient) was noticeably disturbed by that. He left. Still unable to read, still blind to God's goodness. 

     Who knows what happened to him, maybe he has let Christ shine light into his world, or maybe he continues to practice his dark ways and refuse the One that will save him. I don't know, God does. 

     After Dr. Thomas finished his story, there was definitely a very somber feeling in the air. My heart was heavy for those that felt like they couldn't free themselves from their sin for fear of provision, fear of not being able to make it without their sins. So often, we are incapacitated by our fear of the unknown, that we resort to our sin, rather than the freedom that Christ offers.

     We say, "no, I can't give up that sin, because if I do, I won't ______"

be good enough

be able to pay my bills

be happy

be safe

be strong

be impressive. 

     But all that sin offers to be for us, whether security, "happiness", or money, Christ offers to be so much more! He offers to be all that we need, so that we can face unknown lands and be secure, we can face bills and trust His provision (He does love to care for those that trust Him), and we can face depression and know that His joy will replace whatever fleeting happiness we gained from sin. 

     What enjoyment some might get from sin is nothing compared to what God offers to us in Christ. 

     Eternal joy, eternal satisfaction, eternal security, eternal delight.

 

     Isn't that so much better than fleeting pleasure, a rebellious heart, and eternal damnation? 

I'd say so. Yet we can be so blind, so fearful, so unwilling to give up our sin and trust God that He'll help us. 

     Don't let your story be like the voodoo priest who had a heart of unbelief in the promise that God would care for him--don't walk out the door of the Doctor's office and insist on blindness when the cure is right in front of you! 

     Give it up to the Lord, and hold to and strengthen your faith as you trust that whatever your sin may have temporarily supplied, God will eternally, abundantly provide in place of that sin. He is so worth it.

"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." Hebrews 10:39