Faith that Lights The Dark World
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
When I saw the book titled “Chasing the Dragon” on the book table in a Christian bookstore, I was immediately intrigued. This book, written by Jacky Pullinger, a British missionary to Hong Kong, is one of my favourite autobiographical books. In her book, she recounts how God had planted the seeds of the mission field in her heart as a young child and how he led her to the walled city in Hong Kong called “Hak nam,” which means “darkness” in Chinese. The walled city was ruled by criminal gangs called Triads, where everything that the light could not tolerate took place – truly a place of darkness and abject poverty. She recounts walking down any alley in the walled city and seeing more than one hundred people “chasing the dragon” – shooting up or inhaling opium.
Opposition & Miraculous Deliveries
Jacky Pullinger faced opposition during her early years in the walled city, not only from the Triads but also from the established church in Hong Kong. Despite this, she pushed through the trials and setbacks and began seeing God do amazing things. The Hong Kong authorities recognised the valuable work that she was doing in the walled city and paid her a salary. She earned the respect of the Triad leaders, who sent guards to protect the youth club she was running. They asked her to help the Triad members come off drugs. She only agreed to this if they were willing to follow Jesus and leave their old way of life. Miraculously, the Triad leaders agreed and allowed them to leave the gangs. This was the beginning of miraculous deliveries from drug addiction and other vices. The former addicts and gang members became her co-workers, and her reach grew beyond the dark, walled city and into other Asian countries. Jacky Pullinger’s faith in God and His miraculous power to deliver and save even those whom society had given up on has inspired many.
God has a “mission field” for all of us. Some of us, like Jacky Pullinger, will be taken out of our comfort zone, to the other side of the world, to be a light in the darkness. But for many of us, our “mission field” will be in the classroom, at our workplace, on the sports field, in our communities, and any other space God has called us to be in. Wherever we find ourselves, we are to shine His light. We are to testify to who Jesus is. Our faith in God and His eternal love for all mankind are what compel us to draw others to Him. Will you be a beacon of light where God has placed you so that He will be glorified?
God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. The trouble with so many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet. Jackie Pullinger
Reflection
Think about how you can be a light in your world, your sphere of influence, so that you can positively impact lives for Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are the light of the world. Help me to be a beacon of light to those I encounter daily. Open my eyes to see those who need Your love and deliverance from the dark life they are living. I ask that You give me the courage to do this. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
