Is it possible for a mother, however disappointed,
however hurt, to forget her nursing child?
Can she feel nothing for the baby she carried and birthed?
Even if she could, I, God, will never forget you. Isaiah 49:15, The Voice
We have all felt alone or lonely. Some of us may even have felt God has forgotten us. Thankfully, we have a plethora of other believers, churches, online devotionals, and prayer hotlines around us in Western cultures to whom we can reach out for encouragement.
Persecuted regions do not have the privilege of these amenities nor often access to the internet. These people do not even have access to the life-giving Word of God in a language they understand — the language they use to cry out to God, the language of their heart.
In a sensitive region in Asia live three Christ-following women — the sole survivors of their family. Their husbands, sons, and daughters-in-law have passed away, which leads to extreme poverty.
Perhaps we can relate to the loneliness and grief they feel. And their story goes even deeper. No one in their village believes in Jesus Christ, and the community will not help this small family, despite the desperate need, because these women follow after God’s heart.
Talk about isolated and alone. Yet, their faith in God has never diminished.
The Holy Spirit reaches out to these seemingly deserted people through indigenous Bible translation. When these women learned of the great work of Bible translation in their Nathu* community, they became excited and gained courage, exclaiming, “We are not alone, and God will protect us.”
Knowing Christ remembers even these community-segregated women sows mustard seeds of faith in their hearts. And those seeds blossom into an uncontrollable force. God can use their testimonies coupled with the Gospel message in their heart language to spread salvation through their Asian community.
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His times of coming forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, NASB
As we know from the prophecies of Jesus’s birth, God has a plan, and He does not forget anyone. Not us. Not them. Fill your own heart with expectancy as you fulfill the Great Commission of spreading the Good News to seemingly forgotten people. Give the gift of life to a people still awaiting news of their Messiah.
“We read her a portion of the Bible translation, and as she heard God's words, she began to cry and cry out to God, ‘Father, Your Kingdom come.’” – Nathu translator
*Pseudonym used for security purposes